The Legend of Zelda: Banishment
by Sketzer
Summary: Ganon's final fight against Link. A series of five short stories. Let the battle of the century begin. Some highlights: Link becomes king. Hyrule's ture history is slowly revealed. A war breaks out. New enemies...the humans.
1. Part 1: The Golden Statue

The Golden Statue

By: Sketzer

(Based on the Legend of Zelda games)

* * *

Prologue

A shadowy figure looms over the golden statue. As the figure slowly moves forward he cocks his head back toward a noise in the distance. He takes no notice and continues toward the statue. Closer and closer he comes to the statue of Kokiri. He reaches for it and just as he breaches the dim light around it a pain bursts from his right hand. He looks down at the arrow impaling his hand. He turns and falls to the ground as another arrow punctures his side. As he feels death near he reaches for the healing potion in his pouch, suddenly his hand is driven into the soft earth by a third arrow.

"You shouldn't have tried," said a strange evil voice that of a boy. "Only I shall have this statue," and as the boy spoke the dying man felt evil fill his heart. Then he fell into blackness.

* * *

Chapter 1: Reunited

It was a sunny day on the familiar beach Link walked on as a child. Now he was entering his teen years and even had a true love, Zelda. For a time he thought about her and wondered how she would greet him this time; with a deku stick, or shurikens?

Nearing his beloved's castle, he looked at it in a new light. He had never seen it in the morning before. After centuries of growing, giant vines had reached the top of the steep walls. It also had a deep moat fed by a wide river. He never saw a building so beautiful.

As he made his way to the old majestic castle he kept his guard up. He unsheathed his sword and held it at an angle that could deflect both vertical and horizontal attacks. He listened to the rustling leaves from a small breeze flowing through the forest. He heard a horse neigh from somewhere near the castle. As he approached the home of his beloved, he noticed an enchanting aroma emanating from a large rounded rock. He took out his bow and sent a shot past the left side of the rock. As the arrow passed the rock a girl leaped out at him from over the rock.

"Link!" exclaimed Zelda, drawing him into a big hug. "I didn't expect you for another week. I'll have the cooks make us an apple crisp." They held hands as they began to walk to the castle.

"Amazingly, I didn't run into any trouble. How's your father?"

"He's better. We haven't had any trouble with Ganon since you defeated him."

"It's the least I could do, he did try to kill you after all."

When they entered the castle, Zelda had the apple crisp made and they stayed up late reminiscing about the past, and the things to come.

* * *

Chapter 2: Disappearance

The next morning was quiet, _very quiet, too quiet,_ thought Link. As he got dressed he noticed there were no birds singing, no rushing water from the nearby mill, just the sound of his breathing and heartbeat.

As he moved to the window he muttered to himself, "Something's not right." When he opened the shutters he gasped. Before him lay a landscape of dead trees, no grass, and a chasm where the moat was. The land was barren.

_This can't be Ganon's work, it's too large scale._ As he moved through the castle his worst fears were realized, everyone including his beloved was gone. Link soon began to wonder why he had not disappeared along with the others. Oddly enough he found himself needing to research his predicament. He'd only been to the library once, and couldn't remember where it was. So he began wandering around the castle.

He finally found the library and immediately started looking through the Hyrulian history books. As he skimmed the pages a picture caught his eye. It was a beautiful scene filled with trees of many shapes and sizes, with vines intertwined through them. On the ground was a path of little pink flowers leading up to a large stump. It was, however, what was on the stump that intrigued Link. There was a small golden statuette shaped like a bird. Then he read the caption, "This is the only known statue of Kokiri, the bird that gave life to Hyrule." _The bird must've been stolen,_ Link thought, and then continued researching Kokiri. But even after an entire day's work, he found nothing.

* * *

Chapter 3: The Journey Begins

The next morning Link collected his things and left the castle. Just outside the gate he remembered the horse he heard yesterday, but it too was nowhere to be found. Link finally decided to set out for the river. He knew where the Kokiri forest was; it was naught but a half-days journey. On his way to the river his feeling of being watched strengthened more and more. As he walked to the river he was on edge, and kept his hand on the hilt of his sword. Once he reached the dried up river he headed north along the riverbed toward the dense forest.

Then he heard crumbling dirt coming from the riverbed. He looked down and saw a small helmet shaped creature with a round snout, eight short tentacles, and two menacing yellow eyes. _Oh great, an Octorock, if there's just one I can take it down, no problem,_ thought Link. Out of the riverbed popped seven more Octorocks. The Octorocks fired a volley of fist-sized rocks at Link, which he dodged by rolling behind a dead tree. As the tree began to splinter, Link thought, _There are too many, and this tree won't last very long._

As he got out his bow Link knew he had to make each shot count, as there were only twelve arrows left in his quiver. He set an arrow onto the bow and drew it back slightly. Link then waited for the next volley of rocks. He drew his bow completely, spun around, aimed, and fired. His shot hit an Octorock right between the eyes. With haste he retreated to his dead tree sanctuary and repeated his tactic for another kill.

The Octorocks' last volley had just about knocked the tree down. Link decided it was time to move to a different tree. There was a larger one a little closer to the vile beasts. Link dashed behind it as soon as the next volley was fired, which knocked over the tree he had been behind. Once he was in a safer position he drew his bow to try for another kill. When he came out the Octorocks were moving very fast from side to side. In despair he shot aimlessly into the group hoping for a lucky hit, but to no avail.

Link put away his bow and drew his sword, waited for the next volley, then struck out at the Octorocks. He hit two with one swing and turned toward the last four. They fired a volley at him. He rolled out of the way and stabbed one dead center. Those remaining surrounded him and fired. He ducked and kicked off the ground to spin and hit the last three. He surveyed the damage done and confirmed his kills.

Then he began again his journey toward Kokiri forest. After taking two steps he realized that he was very parched. He checked his water pouch, but its contents were empty. The statue of Kokiri had taken the people, the beauty, and all the water from Hyrule. His thoughts turned to why he had not disappeared with the others. _Perhaps it is my heritage of enchanted knights meant for protecting Hyrule. Yes, it must be a spell._ His thoughts went back to water; _I can do without it for a day or two.

* * *

_

Chapter 4: Kokiri Forest

After the encounter with the Octorocks it took Link an entire day to reach the Kokiri forest. He made camp at the edge of the forest. The forest gave off an eerie aura as he stared into the dense trees, all of which are dead. As he started his fire his thoughts were of everything he had helped Zelda through. Lost in thought he forgot to tend the fire and the embers nearly died out. Once he had rekindled the fire, he got out a small blue flute called an ocarina. As he practiced a sad melody a foul smell permeated the air. It was a pungent odor he knew all too well. He reached to his sword and took it out.

"Come out, Ganon!" yelled Link; with a force he did not think he had. "Link," said Ganon's deep amused voice, "how did you know? Did I make a sound?"

"_You_ stole Kokiri's statue," accused Link. Ganon laughed a deep laugh, "Always jumping to conclusions, maybe you should _listen_ to what I have to say with those _pointy_ ears of yours."

"Why should I?"

"Because if you don't, I won't help you kill _that_, which really stole the statue."

"What are you talking about, and get straight to the point," Link said through his clenched teeth, as he became more irritated.

"Very well, I created an evil version of yourself to help me kill you. But he broke free of my control and took the statue, which I never meant to happen."

"So why do you need _my_ help?"

"Because his power equals yours, and seeing as I have not killed you, I've decided that our techniques and prowess could defeat him."

"How can I trust you?"

"Link, I want to _enslave_ Hyrule, not destroy it. Do you think I am lying about this simple fact?" Link took a few moments to think about his statement, and decided on an answer. "If he is as powerful as me then I will need help. We can work together, but if you attack me at anytime then I will not hesitate to kill you. Is that understood?"

"Whatever." They decided to sleep on opposite sides of the fire. After they settled in, Link asked a question. "Ganon, how did you not disappear with everything else?"

"_I_ am not from Hyrule, and don't ask me anymore questions of my past."

* * *

Chapter 5: The Search for Dark Link

Link awoke to a hazy morning and the sky looked ready to rain. He remembered what had transpired the day before and saw Ganon as a temporary ally. Since they had a common enemy, Link felt he should be a little more patient with his new "ally".

Ganon, now also awake, drew up a plan for finding what they now call Dark Link. The plan involved a small crystal Ganon had that showed him the way to Dark Link. "What will we do when we find my imposter?" asked Link.

"You will keep him busy while I perform the incantation to unsummon him."

"Where is he from here?" Ganon made a few quick movements and then replied, "I didn't expect him to be so far away. He's just west of Lake Hylia."

"What? That's three days from here!"

"Yes, I know and we have to get there as soon as possible."

Link thought back to the last time he went to Lake Hylia. He had used his ocarina to save a child from a burning building by making it rain with the Song of Storms. "Ganon, I could use my ocarina to warp us back to the Water Temple near Lake Hylia. It would bring us very close and we would have the element of surprise."

"That solves our problem. Now let us go kill Dark Link."

Link and Ganon waste no time in collecting their things. "Put your hands on my shoulders." Ganon does as commanded and Link takes out his ocarina. He plays the Serenade of Water. As he ended a bright light envelops the two warriors. "Lake Hylia, it's empty," said Link in a sad quiet voice. "Indeed," Ganon replied as he looked at the crystal, "and he is still heading west." Link's sadness dissipated and was replaced with determination. "Then let's get moving."

By nightfall the crystal told them that Dark Link was close and had stopped moving. They silently approached the area indicated by the crystal and found him propped up against a tree asleep. "Time to strike," whispered Ganon.

* * *

Chapter 6: The Battle

Link slowly moved toward the sleeping Dark Link. About ten yards from his enemy Link took out his sword, carefully keeping its sound of metal on metal quiet, and with his sword up, Link took several long steps closer to his imposter. From seven yards away he looked back at Ganon who was starting his spell. Two yards closer Link could see Dark Link gripping its sword. He hoped that he could hit Dark Link hard enough to cripple him. At three feet distance Link was close enough to strike. He raised his sword and swung, but Dark Link vanished. Link desperately looked around for him in all directions, but saw nothing.

A voice. He heard a voice, but did not catch what it said. Again it spoke, "You shouldn't have come. I am more powerful than you think. I, Link, of Dark World will destroy this _beautiful _world," as he appeared directly in front of Link. "You'll have to go through me to destroy Hyrule," replied Link.

Link hardened his grip on the hilt of his sword. Dark Link paused, thought for a moment, and then took out his sword. The sword had a long thin blade the color of coal. "Then you will die," as Dark Link resounded with a cry of evil, and then swung at Link. Link parried and cut into one of his enemy's bags. Dark Link back flipped, jumped off a tree, and came back down at Link. He tried to dodge the attack, but he was too slow. Dark Link's blade hit him blunt on the shoulder, making a cracking sound from his collarbone. "Ha! Now I will kill you," and Dark Link raised his sword high. As he did his sword burst into flame.

At that moment Ganon released his spell sending Dark Link back to Dark World. "No one will kill Link, but me!" Then he walked up behind Link. "I'll be okay, I think he just cracked my collarbone. Could you… uh… reach in my pouch and get one of my healing potions?" asked Link still cradling his arm. "No. Goodbye Link." Then Ganon shot Link with a fireball and left him to die.

* * *

The Final Chapter: The Fairy and the Stump

Link saw a white light. He started to move toward the light, but was stopped by a small female voice. "_Link…Link wake up. You have to put things right, Link. _WAKE UP!" "What?" asked a very dazed and confused Link. "Finally you're awake."

"Who are you?"

"I am a fairy called Selestie. I healed you."

"Thanks, but what's going on?"

"I watched you fight. You're very brave. I saw that bad man hit you in the back with a fireball."

"I remember now, Ganon said he would use Dark Link to help him kill me. Ganon planned it all. He used Dark Link to steal the statue, and then pulled me into a trap by becoming my "ally." He then carried out the plan that we had set up, and once it was pulled off and I was weak he left me to die. How clever."

"I foiled his plan didn't I?"

"You sure did, and thank you." There was a short moment of silence where Link's belly rumbled. The fairy laughed, and then became serious.

"The man who broke your shoulder dropped something when you were fighting," as she pointed to a small golden statue shaped like a bird. Link looked down, "Kokiri's statue! Thank you! I have to take this back to where it belongs." He picked up the statue and put it in a pouch. "Thank you, and goodbye Selestie."

"Wait! Can I come with you?"

"If you want to."

"Yippee!"

Link remembered why he was on his quest. "Selestie, why didn't you disappear with everyone else?"

"Because fairies have enchantments that protect us from such happenings."

"Oh, ok."

After three days of telling riddles and stories, Link was really in need of water. Fortunately they had arrived at Kokiri forest. Selestie knew the place where the statue needed to go, so she led the way. Once there, Link proceeded to set the statue back in its rightful place. "If everything was alive it would look just like the picture," thought Link. When he set the statue on the stump in the middle of the clearing, a stream of light came out of it. The trees became green, the birds sang, and little pink flowers made a path away from the stump. The forest sang once again with the song of life. Link and Selestie went to the river where Link downed a full stomach of water. They returned to the castle where they were welcomed with open arms. Link told everyone what had happened. Zelda told him that she and her people had been stuck in a magical darkness.

Link vowed to stop Ganon's next plan, whatever it may be.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Before people start sending me e-mails about how much I screwed up The Legend of Zelda games' storylines. I just want to say that I was trying to combine many elements of the games to add my style of writing to the story. By the way this is an original story based on characters owned by _Nintendo_.

Thanks to my dad for editing.


	2. Part 2: The Corrupted Kingdom

The Corrupted Kingdom

By: Sketzer

(Based on the Legend of Zelda games)

* * *

Prologue

Evil emanated from the Hyrulian castle in the sky. No one knew how the castle had gotten there. The entire Royal Family and their servants were now imprisoned. No one had seen or heard from Link since he had retrieved the Statue of Kokiri, after that he left to find and kill Ganon once and for all.

The Hyrulian people were now in disarray as they were unable to ask the King for advice. They wondered how long the Royal Family's provisions would last. Finally, someone decided to search for Link. That person was Giltram.

* * *

Chapter 1: Clouded

Dark World. Link had heard Dark Link say it was where he was from, but Link had never heard of that place. He soon wondered what Ganon would do next. _He'll probably try to enslave Hyrule_, Link thought, as he traveled across a long plain called Hyrule Field.

In the distance was a long mountain range with an odd dark cloud above it. _That isn't like any rain cloud I've ever seen_. Link decided to ask his fairy friend about it. "Selestie, what do you think that cloud is?" He learned much about the fairies from her and knew they had certain senses about nature and magic. "That cloud is what happens when a large amount of pure evil is all in one place. That cloud is what that evil gives off. It is not only the color and smell of evil, but the feel of evil as well, " she said with a somber tone. "Then that is where we must go," Link stated firmly, and somehow knew Ganon was in those mountains.

As they crossed the plain the sky grew darker and darker, until only the light emitted from Selestie remained. Link felt cold inside like someone sucked all the happiness from his heart. "It seems Ganon made his move to enslave Hyrule," Link said as he looked at the core of the cloud.

"Yes, and we must stop him from finishing whatever he has started. Link, from now on we will not be able to tell day from night, as the cloud will disrupt the light from the sun. I will tell you when it is nighttime."

After a few hours they stopped and set up camp just outside the mountains. The ominous clouds had grown in size and intensity, and covered the entire sky. It was going to be hard for Link to sleep until he became used to all this evil. Tomorrow they would start the hard part of their journey.

* * *

Chapter 2: Giltram's Panic

Once Giltram had decided to search for Link, he did not hesitate. He went to the stable where he kept his horse, Arrowhead, and made ready for travel. Giltram was an old elven man who had no family and owned a small farm on the edge of Hyrule. Once Giltram had packed everything necessary for the trip, including a small basket of vegetables, he climbed onto Arrowhead and set out.

Giltram was a spiritualist and a hermit. He could feel changes in the environment almost as good as the fairies. After noon he _felt_ a cold wind. The cold was not of temperature, but of darkness. He felt as though a mass of evil that had been gathering for years had been unleashed upon Hyrule. Sensing this he focused harder on its intentions. He felt something, and moved his mind toward it._ The humans will be corrupted._

_The people of Hyrule will be turned evil. I do not know how to stop this. I must get to Link,_ he thought with panic. He spurred Arrowhead into a gallop and set off toward the center of the evil. Somehow he knew Link would also head that way. After another hour the evil had spread all over the sky and into the center of Hyrule.

* * *

Chapter 3: The Tower of Torment

The next morning Link and Selestie woke up to find the world still shrouded with evil. The horrible cloud had thickened immensely overnight; it was like a puddle being rained on. After breakfast the pair headed into the mountains. "I've traveled _this_ range many times," said Link enthusiastically, "we'll find Ganon in no time."

"I hope so. He certainly is good at hiding isn't he?"

"Not really. I always have a pretty easy time finding him. It should be no problem this time, he probably thinks I'm dead."

"I agree, but let us not do something stupid like walk into…" Selestie stopped mid sentence. They had rounded a flat cliff, and before them was a tall dark tower. Out of the top of the tower came a stream of black cloud. "…a trap!"

"I don't think this is a trap. Ganon probably doesn't even have this place guarded very well. Let's go in."

"Wait. It just feels so evil. I want to stay here."

"Ok, you don't have to go in. I'll be out before you know it.

Link went up to the large oaken doors and grabbed the round handle. The handle was huge, and had a large snake engraved around it. It was coiled around the handle as a real snake would. He pulled the handle and the ancient door creaked as it opened.

Inside there was only a flight of steps winding up the tower. Link climbed the steps, and at the top was a sight of absolute evil. The Fairy Queen was chained to the wall and was being used as the source of power for the evil tower. "Your highness," whispered Link. He moved toward her and took out his sword. "Stop," commanded the Queen, "if I am set free by anything other than the key to my shackles, all my power will be drained instantly and I will die. Link, this is the Tower of Torment. It takes good and turns it into evil. If the evil power is not used then it will be dispersed into the sky. The amount of good energy I have is unsurpassable to anything in Hyrule except for the Triforce. Link, there are things I still must do before I pass on. Find Ganon and take the key. I need to survive, the fairy race depends on it."

"Yes, your highness. You have my word, I will save you."

* * *

Chapter 4: Trouble on the Field

Giltram knew that the fastest way to get anywhere in Hyrule was Hyrule Field. He headed straight for it and rode all night long. He arrived the next morning and decided to make camp because Arrowhead needed rest and food. For the most part the day was uneventful, but he was sensing odd things.

Large groups of Octorocks were moving randomly through the country. The land was changing. The water was growing algae twice as fast as normal, and the leaves of the trees were turning purple. He felt as if hands were moving things at their will. The evil in the air was twisting the land, shaping it, discoloring it, until only a fraction of the original beauty was left.

After he and Arrowhead had eaten lunch they moved across the plain. By the end of the day they were outside the mountain range, where they set up camp again and went to sleep.

For the first half of the night Giltram slept uneasily. Arrowhead woke him with a muffled neigh. He threw off the blanket and reached for his knife. He noticed that the light was the same as it had been when he went to sleep. Then he saw three figures. He recognized them as children. Suddenly awake, he asked, "Who are you?" The smallest child replied with an evil voice, "We want to eat your food."

"Is that all you want," asked Giltram baffled by the simplicity of the statement.

"No, we also want your soul!"

The human boys jumped him, but _he_ was an elf. He moved with a quickness faster than the three corrupted boys put together. He sidestepped and swung hitting the first one in the back of the head with the hilt of his knife, knocking him out. Giltram smoothly grabbed the next boy's ankles and pulled his feet out from under him, plowing his face into the ground. The third boy grabbed at the knife but Giltram punched him in the temple just hard enough to knock him out but not kill him. The other boy got back up and grappled Giltram from the back and started to squeeze. However, Giltram easily broke free and proceeded to knock him out with a good punch.

He looked at Arrowhead; the corrupted boys had killed his best friend. Giltram knew this was not the boys' fault, but the influence of the cloud. He then gathered only the most necessary things and began hiking toward the mountain range.

* * *

Chapter 5: To the Volcano

Link left the tower and found Selestie sitting on a stump staring at the swirling black sky. Link had a lump in his throat as he tried to tell her about the tower. "Selestie, your Queen is in that tower and we must find Ganon and get the key from him."

"Th…the Queen…is in there? In the Tower of Torment?"

"Yes," he paused as he struggled to find the right words, "we'll save her, Selestie, even if I have to go to the depths of the underworld and back."

"Thank you Link, that lightens my heart."

They discussed where to search for Ganon next, and decided to brave the volcano on the other side of the mountains. To get there they would have to climb to the top of the mountain they were on. Link hummed an enchanting melody, a trait all elves possess, as they climbed higher and higher until they reached the height necessary for their assessment of the land.

Link saw the volcano had miraculously moved into the center of the mountain range, shortening their trip to a half-day. According to Selestie it was midday, so they decided to risk venturing into the now ragged land. The land had been stripped of all its beauty, and yet it still provided everything needed for life. Link saw this undeniable fact, as a paradox. Evil tainted this land, and it was by far fouler than anything he had ever seen, but it had as many beasts as before.

They proceeded down the mountain. At the bottom, they stopped for a quick meal of bread and water. Then they trudged through a valley of dense forest, which they found very hard to navigate because of the random rock walls scattered throughout the trees. They spent the night at the foot of the volcano.

* * *

Chapter 6: Magic Time

Giltram climbed to the top of the first mountain he saw. He ignored the evil cloud that seemed to be coming straight out of a rock wall. Little did he know the wall was merely an illusion. At the top he could see the volcano, and decided to climb up the taller mountain next to it so he could see what was in the crater, if anything.

He passed through the shortest part of the thick forest, and once at the foot of the mountain he sat down. His body was starting to get old, even for an elf. He was still grieving the loss of his fourth and favorite horse when he thought of something. He pulled out a small silver chained necklace, which had a small vial of blue liquid attached to the chain. The blue liquid was a formula for "magic time" as he called it. It was a potion that triples someone's running speed.

He opened the vial and drank it all. He felt an immense power rush to his legs. He got up and started running up the mountain. _This won't last long in the mountains, I'll have to think quickly_. In a half-hour he was at the top of the tall mountain. In the thick clouds he was surprised at how well his aging eyes could still see. Inside the volcano's crater was a vast swamp. He was stunned to see a large dank looking castle in the center of the swamp.

He ran back down the mountain at an amazing speed, and was at the base of the volcano in ten minutes. The effect of the potion was just wearing off as he stopped. He spent the night there.

* * *

Chapter 7: Swamped

Link and Selestie woke the next morning to the same bleak twilight that they were now accustomed to. They started breakfast as they were climbing the volcano. Soon they neared the top of the volcano, and wondered what was at the top.

Selestie stopped to take a drink from a rivulet while Link went ahead to the top of the volcano. He was very surprised to find a swamp in the crater. Then he saw the familiar sight of Ganon's castle. A long rickety bridge connected the edge of the volcano to the front gate of Ganon's castle. "Selestie, hurry up!" Link yelled to his companion. There was a bit of dismay in his voice. He looked around a bit longer and spotted a shield on the ground. He walked over to it and tugged, but it wouldn't budge. He took out his sword and began to pry it from the ground. The moment it came loose five re-dead came out of the ground. They looked more gruesome than usual because of the moss and gray water from the swamp hanging on their stretched skin and bones. The one in the front was holding the shield in its left hand and had a horrible looking sword shaped like a Y.

Link began a fierce battle by running, jumping, and diagonally slicing the far right re-dead into two pieces. They slowly trudged toward him. He jumped back toward the edge of the volcano, to prevent being caught between the re-dead and the swamp. He slowly cut through three of the four, saving the leader for last. After finishing them off he stood and faced the leader. It came at Link with amazing speed. They clashed swords, and the re-dead smote him with the shield. Link flew back, landed a few feet away, and rolled to dodge a thrust from it.

Link quickly stood up and momentarily staggered, then he ran toward the re-dead. It swung; he dodged. It attacked again; he blocked, rolled to the side, and stabbed it in the heart. The re-dead turned and smiled at Link, and swung his shield at him again. Link had expected this and dropped to the ground to cut both of its feet off. The re-dead leader fell to the ground. Link stepped on its sword and shield, and proceeded with the finishing blow to the head.

After the battle Link pried the re-dead leader's arm from the shield. Link took the shield and searched for Selestie. Selestie had been watching the battle and was hiding behind a rock. "Link, you were wonderful!"

"Thanks, they aren't too hard to fight anymore."

"We should head for the castle now."

"Good idea. I think Ganon will be surprised to see me."

* * *

Chapter 8: The Dash

Giltram woke up early the next morning to watch the volcano for Link. Eventually he saw a green figure at the edge of the volcano. _It must be him, it must be Link_. He was now sorry he had used up the entire potion when he did, because now he needed it.

He started down the mountain to get to Link as soon as possible. He took every shortcut he could find or make. He even started a rockslide by moving a big boulder and then running on top of it. Once he had gotten to the bottom, he immediately started up the volcano. He used every ounce of adrenaline his body could muster. Halfway up the volcano he stopped for a quick drink, and then he continued running.

He had finally made it to the top and found that there was no one there, so he decided to head toward the entrance of the long bridge. He hoped Link had gone inside. He tore open the door and yelled, "LINK!"

* * *

Chapter 9: Tales of Peril

Link and Selestie slowly crossed the long bridge to the castle. When they reached the front gate they took their time opening the door so they would not attract attention to themselves. Inside was a huge lobby with a giant painting of Ganon hanging on the back wall. The room was dimly lit with a few scattered candles. They looked around for a short while before they heard, "LINK!" coming from directly behind them. "Who are you?" asked Link with a deadly tone.

"Thank goodness! I am Giltram, a hermit. I searched you out to tell you of a terrible peril."

"What would that be?" Link asked, now much more interested.

"The great castle of Hyrule has floated up into the sky, and the Royal Family is in it. All the Hyrulian people have been corrupted."

"This is Ganon's doing, _again_. He thinks that I am dead. Now he will pay for all the evil deeds he has committed."

"I want to help. I can be a diversion for you. Ganon will think that I am trying to be a hero in place of you."

"Good idea, just don't get killed." They spent the next few minutes composing a plan that involved Selestie telling Link when to come help Giltram.

As far as Link could tell the castle had not changed, so they went upstairs to the throne room. Once Link had found the door to the throne room, they proceeded with the plan.

* * *

Chapter 10: Ganon's Flight

Giltram opened the door to the throne room to see Ganon asleep in his large obsidian throne. He and Selestie went inside and left the door open a little for Link. Giltram proceeded to walk up the steps not worrying about the sound of his footsteps. He wanted Ganon awake. Ganon opened one eye and yawned loudly before talking to his intruder. "You are in _my_ castle," then he noticed the small sheathe on Giltram's hip, "and you have a pitiful little knife. Interesting. How do you think you will be able to hurt me with that puny blade? Even Link could not stand up to my power. Hah hah haa…oh great Link. We knew thee well." He started into a maniacal laugh that was enough to make even a troll retch.

"I am Giltram, and I can defeat you with my pinky finger," Giltram said with surprisingly good force. Ganon began laughing even harder. Giltram unsheathed his knife and looked Ganon straight in the eye. "Fight me." Ganon sneered, "Fine, _Giltram,_ you can die if you want to." Ganon drew back his hand. Link came running through the door off-queue. "WHAT!" screamed Ganon with uncontrollable rage. "You're DEAD! I killed you with that fireball."

"Ha! Selestie here healed me right after you attacked me. Ganon, do you remember when I told you, 'if you attack me at anytime I will not hesitate to kill you'? Well that time has come."

Link and Giltram started to run at Ganon, but Ganon threw his fireball at the ceiling. As the roof came crumbling down, Ganon jumped out the window. They were stopped by the falling debris, but turned back and headed for the front door. Once outside the saw Ganon getting onto a raft. Selestie used her powers to create a magical canoe for them to follow him.

* * *

Chapter 11: The Chase

Ganon blasted out part of the volcano wall instantly creating a river. The two vessels sailed down the mountain range at an unbelievable pace. In five minutes they were off the volcano and heading away from Hyrule. Link pulled out his bow and started firing at Ganon. Selestie then started setting Link's arrows on fire with magic to start burning their enemy's raft. Ganon retaliated with a few fireballs and electric bolts. Finally Link got a good hit on one of Ganon's ropes and his raft split into two unequal pieces. Ganon quickly got on the larger one and attacked a few more times, hitting Selestie's boat twice, but the magical boat took no damage. While Ganon was looking back at his enemies, his raft struck a large rock and knocked him into the water.

Very soon the three caught up to him, took the key, and Selestie tied his hands behind his back with magical bonds. Over two days they traveled back to the Tower of Torment, with Ganon ranting the whole way. Link went to the Fairy Queen and unlocked her shackles. This stopped the flow of evil into the sky. In return for her rescue, the Queen promised to help the people of Hyrule by freeing them from their corruption and setting the castle back in its proper place.

* * *

The Final Chapter: Defeat

With the help of the Fairy Queen it took two weeks for the evil to completely dissipate from the air. She then uncorrupted the people, put the castle back in its place, and cleansed the land. After everything was set right, Ganon was interrogated about his plan by using a truth potion made by Giltram. "I _knew_ what that tower could do. I had planned on it sending evil through the air so I could change the land at will. Unfortunately there was so much evil that I could not tell Link was nearing my castle. I thought he was dead, so I wasn't even watching for him. I also corrupted the people to use as my army, but they got out of my control. This is what happens when I think too big!" Ganon was then charged with attempted overthrow of the kingdom, and sentenced to be sealed up in a box, forever.

Link finally had the chance to talk to Zelda. It felt great to be back with her. She told him she had been completely out of harm's way, except for running out of food. For a few months everything was quiet, so they had lots of time to spend together. Eventually Link proposed to Zelda, and they got married a month later. Link volunteered to be one of Ganon's guards. He wanted to hold up his family's tradition of keeping Hyrule safe from all evil.

Author's Notes:

Thanks to _Nintendo_, you have the best games.

Thanks again to my dad for editing.

Thanks for everyone's support.

I don't own The Legend of Zelda.


	3. Part 3: The Ascencion of Nazrox

The Ascension of Nazrox

By: Sketzer

(Based on the Legend of Zelda games)

* * *

Prologue

Just off the coast of Hyrule many large ships were headed toward the shore. On the bridge of the first and biggest ship was a man looking toward the coastline. His black uniform had eight or nine badges pinned on the front. Admiral Nazrox had only one mission: to siege Hyrule's main harbor, if there was one, and declare war on the supposedly small, rich kingdom. He paced behind the helms' pegged wheel, his boots clacking along the wooden surface. Looking around with his one eye, the other had been lashed out by a sergeant during boot camp, he picked up his glass of red wine and took a drink. He was nervous. This was his first mission as Admiral of the Baltrithian Armada. If he messed up Meltran would have his head. If he succeeded, however, he could easily have Meltran's trust.

Meltran was the Emperor of Baltrian. A continent only storytellers in Hyrule would mention. The entire continent was made up of thieves, smugglers, and worst of all, the Baltrithian Army. Their Army was the most abusive group of men anywhere. They were also the best military in the world. They had all the essentials: strength, mind, and greed. Nazrox hoped to one day command the great army. Meltran currently commanded them. For the moment Nazrox felt content with having control of the Armada.

The harbor came into view and Nazrox began giving orders. He shouted them like a lion, proving he was the master of the forest. He had the ships anchored down in a three-line semicircle preventing anyone from passing in, or out, of the harbor.

* * *

Chapter 1: The New King

Link looked out at the kingdom before him, knowing that it would be his in three hours. He stood on the balcony with a forlorn expression on his face. Becoming king meant that he had to leave his post guarding Ganon. In the past, Ganon managed to escape when Link was not there. Link could only hope that this was the last time he had to think about Ganon.

Link received a horrible scar when Ganon attacked him, just after they defeated Dark Link. He never noticed his scar until he returned to the castle with Giltram and Selestie. During that period three years ago, Link had been holding Ganon prisoner, and over that time he had become a man. Link walked off the balcony and into his room. He paced around for the most of an hour before heading towards the kitchen.

He walked down the long second floor hallway, passing working servants and maids with grace. He was still very agile because he trained for four hours per day. Even with the training Link had lost some of the fire in his heart, because Ganon was no longer able to harm Hyrule.

After he had eaten, he went straight back to his room. The crowning ceremony was only an hour away. He changed into his custom-made armor; the set he would never use in battle. Every piece was made of gold. From the bottom up there was a very intricate leafy pattern of silver that made the armor shine like the moon on a clear summer night. Link called in two servants to help him put it on. He had never put armor on, but new that it would be very heavy. Soon the servants were finished. It was time for the ceremony.

* * *

Chapter 2: Ceremonies and Sieges

Link met Zelda just outside the throne room. They had practiced the ceremony at least a hundred times during Royal Orientation. "I'm nervous," they said at the same time, then laughed. It was almost one o'clock, and the ceremony would start at that precise time by way of bell. Link bent down and quickly kissed Zelda. They would soon be crowned, and the kingdom would be their burden.

The large doors flung open at the sound of the bell. The ceremony had begun. At the front of the room sat the two thrones, which were made of rough stone so that no king or queen could sit on them comfortably. This was a symbol of anti-tyranny. Link and Zelda walked down the green-carpeted aisle. They passed the Royal Counsel, which was sitting in the back of the pews. Next came the friends, then the families. Standing in front diagonally on either side of the thrones was the majestic Royal Guard. They stood strong and tall in their jade armor, and holding their spears at an angle away from the center, showing their ever-lasting loyalty to the throne.

Link and Zelda stopped at the small flight of steps in front of the thrones to await the King, Queen, and the High Priest. The High Priest entered first from a door on the left. He bore long lavender pillow with the King's sword and shield placed neatly on top. The King and Queen entered from the left door, they walked to their stone thrones but did not sit. They looked at the thrones mournfully, but then sighed as though they had been relieved of a terrible burden. They turned and looked at their successors, daughter and son-in-law, and the hope for the future. The queen motioned to two servants who bore two more lavender pillows. The servants walked between the Royalty and successors. The High Priest took the Queen's solid gold Capulet and set it on the pillow in front her. He did the same with the King; only his Capulet was larger and bore five different gems -sapphire, ruby, diamond, topaz, and emerald- representing the elements water, fire, wind, earth, and spirit.

The High Priest then asked the procession, "Are there any objections to this wedded couple taking the throne? If there are please speak." When no one answered he said, "Very well. As my duty of High Priest, I declare that Link and Zelda are now the Royal Family of Hyrule." The procession cheered as the High Priest placed the Capulets upon the new King and Queen. Link and Zelda then entered the door on the left to start their true "Orientation."

Link and Zelda were immediately taken to a room full of wizards and witches. High Priest explained to them about why Hyrule had lasted so long. "The true reason lies not in the hearts of the Royal Family. We have had bad rulers, but they were not able to hide anything from the people. This is because of a spell that is woven into each King and Queen. This spell prevents the Royal Family from lying to anyone about anything. This is the true reason for our survival. After this spell is completed, it will be very powerful for a few weeks, and then it will dilute and become slightly less powerful. Also our wizards have been working what seems like tireless years trying to perfect another spell. A spell that gives you the ability to see bad things happen in your dreams two nights before they come." He finished his speech by closing all the windows and moving Link and Zelda to the center of the round room.

The group of spellcasters began a chant, starting low and then gaining speed, volume, and intensity. They continued this for an hour, and then stopped. "The first spell is complete," said a small witch, "You can no longer lie. Would you like to have a spot of tea before we continue?" Link responded, "I'm fine, how about you, Zelda?" "Just one cup will be fine thanks."

As Zelda drank her tea, a knock was heard, and then a teenaged boy cried, "I must speak with the king! It is very urgent! Hyrule could be in danger!" The head wizard responded rather harshly, "The Royal Family cannot be spoken to at this moment. You'll have to wait one-half hour." With that the wizard quickly cleaned up the area, and immediately the next spell was begun.

After it was finished the wizard stated, "Go now, quickly, and see what is the matter." Link opened the door and saw a tall brown haired elf-human sitting on a large stone rail. "What is the matter my young friend?" asked Link with a renewed sense of love for his kingdom. "Your highness," the boy said with a quick bow, "Caulren's harbor has been blockaded by unknown war vessels! We dare not send out any ships as they have destroyed four that tried to enter the harbor within the last hour." Link turned to his wife, "This is what I must do now." Then he spoke to the boy, "I will go and see what I can do, and I hope for all our sakes that this does not turn sour." He pulled a copper out of his pocket and handed it to the boy. The boy bowed and left. "Zelda, you know that we will face hardships. Help the people while I am gone."

"Yes, my love," she said with a mixed tone. Link tuned and headed to the stable. There he took a pack and the pure white horse, Silvertoe, and went to the bakery. He loaded up with fresh bread and milk for the trip. He also retrieved his new sword; called Arget Brisingr or Silver Fire, and a shield from the page sent by the High Priest. Link mounted Silvertoe, and headed across the drawbridge toward Caulren.

* * *

Chapter 3: Uneasy Negotiations

Nazrox sat at the desk in his quarters contemplating the three days of the siege. In his mind it had gone very well. Twelve ships had been sunk or raided, and four turned away. Today, no ships from the harbor risked leaving Hyrule. Nazrox thought this a wise decision. He would rather stay alive and try becoming a farmer than risk being sunk by twenty armed ships. He also hoped that the ships they had not sunk could be used for his personal use, or incorporated into the armada.

A knock came at the cabin door and Nazrox stood. "Come in," he said in a low raspy voice common unto a hardened sailor. A brown haired corporal walked through the door. "Sir, there has been a report of a man in a suit of armor on top of a pure white horse who just rode into Caulren. He appears to have a broadsword, shield, and bow." Nazrox stood and paced for a moment then answered, "He's probably a Hyrulian Knight. We must be careful because we don't know what we are up against. We've all heard the stories about Hyrulians being able to use magic. So if those stories are true then we must proceed with extreme caution. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. I will relay the order without delay," the corporal responded with a sharp salute. "Dismissed." The corporal immediately walked through the door leaving Nazrox to ponder this mysterious menace.

Link rode straight to the docks where he borrowed a rowboat from a local sailor. He pulled a white piece of cloth out of his bag and attached it to a long stick. He positioned the flag of truce at the front of the boat. He placed his shield in front of him so he could pick it up quickly in case of arrows. He kept his bow and arrows next to him, and his sword, slightly unsheathed, so he could take it out quickly.

He rowed slowly toward the largest ship, which was positioned in the middle of the armada, because he knew the person in-charge would be there. As he rowed, the men on board slowly came into view. They were the largest people he had ever seen. They were tall. Most had beards, and they all had muscles the size of watermelons. Even so, they moved around the ship with a quick grace as though they were one with the beautiful vessel.

When Link approached to within twenty yards of the ship, Admiral Nazrox greeted him rather coldly. "I am Admiral Nazrox of the Baltrithian Empire. We are here to declare war on the kingdom known as Hyrule." Link looked at him in disbelief. He knew that the situation was bad, but he never fathomed how deep it truly was. He decided that it would be best to lie. "I am Link, the…" he could not get the words out. _The spell_, he thought, _I'm unable to lie, but I can't tell them who I am, they will capture me._ "I am the commander of the knights." Truly he was not lying, as the king is the commander of the knights of Hyrule. He was happy with himself for twisting the true truth into a concealed lie. He now understood what it meant to be king. He had to think radically in order to protect crucial information.

"Are you now?" asked Nazrox skeptically, "So are you here to surrender, or will we have to begin the invasion?" Link thought that Nazrox was a bit full of himself. "I will have to consult the counsel on this matter, I will be back in one week with the answer."

"No, you will give me the answer now, or I will invade."

"You won't even give me the chance to consult the Queen?"

"Hmm, perhaps I will. You had better be back in a week with the wise answer, or your people will see a nightmare unlike any other."

"You would be surprised."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean, Link?"

Link thought about telling him about Ganon, but decided against it. The spell, however, came into effect and Link told Nazrox everything about Ganon, including that his soul was in a box in a temple. He cursed to himself; the spell was beginning to tick Link off.

"Interesting, leave and speak with your Queen. I want my answer as soon as possible."

Link turned the boat around and headed for shore. Once at the shore he packed his things very quickly, mounted Silvertoe, and rode toward the castle at a very fast pace.

* * *

Chapter 4: Evil Plans

Nazrox leaned back in his chair and reflected upon Link's story. He could not believe some of the things he had been told, like the bizarre occurrences of magic in widespread proportions, the chaos in Hyrule for a small span of time, and a sorcerer's soul being held inside a box.

He started to admire Ganon. _If I could free him, he could be a powerful ally,_ he thought, as he rocked in his chair. _I should; just so I could take control of Hyrule with unsurpassed speed._

Nazrox left his room and went on deck. He picked four of his best men to accompany him ashore. There he spoke with the Elder of Caulren, and managed to get more information on Ganon through what he called "special means." He found that Ganon was being held at the Spirit Temple of Gerudo. The shore party looked for a map of Hyrule, but were not able to find anything. _They must be hiding things of value; I think I know how to get the people of this town to speak up._ He sent his men back to the rowboat, and told them he would be along in a moment.

Nazrox took out his gun, pointed it at the sky, and fired. Once he had all the people's attention, he threatened; "If you do not surrender your valuables, people will begin to get hurt, or worse. I _will_ be back in two days." The frightened townsfolk began to hurry into their homes or nearby shops. Satisfied, Nazrox joined his men at the rowboat. They then rowed back to the main ship to await the Queen's reply.

* * *

Chapter 5: A Crucial Decision

Link managed to ride back to the castle in two days, rather than the usual three. Once there he asked the servants where Zelda was. "She's in the garden," said a younger handmaid who was milking a cow. "Thanks," Link replied and walked toward the garden quickly, but casually as to not stir up chaos. At the garden, Link found Zelda watering a few lilies.

"Good evening, Zelda. I need your counsel."

"Oh! Link, you're back already? How did it go?"

"Not well. The Baltrithian Armada has stopped all boats from entering, or leaving Caulren. This Admiral Nazrox guy has control of them, and I accidentally told him everything about Ganon save where he is being held."

"How horrible. How did you tell him all of this?"

"That stupid lying spell set upon us. There's even more. He wants me to surrender Hyrule, or he will invade it."

"Oh no! Link, you must talk to the High Priest. He may be able to help."

"Thank you, Zelda," He said with a sigh of anguish. They quickly kissed and he set off for the throne room. On the way he asked if anyone knew where the High Priest was. One of the knights informed Link that the High priest had been in the library doing research this morning, where he was known for spending days at a time.

Link walked down the main corridor and then turned left at the third hallway. He entered the same doors as the last time, when he used the library to do research of the stolen Statue of Kokiri. He looked around the huge labyrinth for ten minutes before he found the High Priest huddled in a corner with his nose in a book.

"High Priest," Link said with a slight commanding tone with just a touch of authority, "something terrible has happened and I need your advice." The High Priest replied in a gentle "old man" voice, "Your majesty, what do you need?" Link told him the story and ended with, "What should I do now? I can't just attack them now they would easily crush us."

"Hmm…and we only have two days to contemplate this matter before he attacks? No, not good at all. I think…you should mobilize the knights and have them find every able man and create as large an army as we can muster. Then take that army and try to defend this castle. This is probably the best course of action."

"We can't let him get to Ganon. That could be more disastrous than anything. I'll send some guards there with orders not to let anyone up the stairs."

"Good idea, Link. Now, what we must do with the army is take some soldiers and send them to each town. The rest will stay here, because this castle cannot be harmed."

"How is that?"

"The Castle of Hyrule was built out of imbued stone. What was imbued into the stone was carefully laid out combinations of spells so that the stone cannot be destroyed. It is said that in times of great peril for Hyrule, if the Castle was the only thing left pure, nothing could penetrate it."

"Therefore, we could outlast our enemies."

"Exactly."

"Thank you. I will use your advice to its fullest."

"That lightens my thoughts, your majesty."

"Thank you, High Priest." Link left the library to sound the horn at the top of the main tower, to gather the knights.

* * *

Chapter 6: Three Shots Upon Caulren

Nazrox came back to Caulren two days later as promised. What he found at the town square was a pile of ripped clothes, rotten food, and broken toys. He signaled his men to sift through the pile. As the men worked Nazrox's anger grew to a level of indescribable infuriation. When his men finished he ordered them to take him back to the ship.

Back aboard the Black Flower, Nazrox ordered that a single cannon be prepared for firing. He aimed and fired it himself. The cannon sent a twenty-pound iron ball straight into the center of the inn. Then he prepared the cannon for another attack while his men stood and watched with amusement. He aimed and fired again, this time into the dock. Not yet satisfied, he decided on one more shot.

_Where to send you,_ he thought with an evil grin. _I know, into the hospital._ He aimed and fired into the bottom of the building. There was a loud creak, and the old building fell to the left, where it shattered, leaving behind a giant pile of dusty wreckage. He laughed hysterically as he went to his quarters, laid down, and slept till morning.

* * *

Chapter 7: A Rock and a Book

It took only one day for the finest of the Hyrulian Knights to return to the castle with wagonloads of men for Link's army. Link knew that they would be cutting the timeline very thin, so he went to the Wizards' Tower to ask for magical help. At the bottom of the stairs he found Zintril, the leader of the wizards. Zintril spoke first, "Link, I was expecting you."

"You were! How did you…"

"I know many things about past, present, and future events that normal people do not."

"I see. Is there any possible way that you and your wizards can speed up the process of the army being ready when Nazrox arrives?"

"No, I'm sorry. However, I have secretly been training a small group of mage assassins to be used as you see fit. I meant for them to help you against Ganon when the time came."

"Well, I suppose they won't be used for that anytime soon."

"You can use them now, but you will find that in the future they will save you from a great grief."

"Why do you always talk in riddles?"

"Why do you always ask questions?"

"Good point. How many of these mage assassins are there?"

"There are ten."

"Send two to the stables, have them wait with Silvertoe, and tell them to bring twelve horses."

"Yes, your majesty."

Link walked back to the Royal Room, where every King of Hyrule slept. His servants helped him with his armor, and then left. Link walked to his desk, and wrote a small entry into his journal. He stood up and walked across the room, while oddly listening to his footsteps. **Clack, clack, clack **Came the sound of his metal boots hitting the stone floor. **Clack, clack, clunk** _What? That didn't sound the same._ Link kneeled over the stone that sounded hollow, and found small grooves on the edges where he could put his fingers. He pulled and the rock came free. He turned it over and found a wooden cover, which he removed. There was a dust-covered book inside! He took it out and wiped the dust away with his bed sheets.

The book was bound shut with a tattered strip of leather. He took his knife and cut the leather, then opened it to the first page and read,

**_The History of Hyrule_ **

**_As told by: The Kings of Hyrule_ **

**King Lithidor I:**

**I met Glestyin when I was about twenty-four, just before Helstram created humans. She told me I was the first of the "elves," and would become the first king of her world, which she called "Ethanol." She made many more elves.**

**We did not know that Helstram was jealous as he secretly created the humans. The humans grew much faster than the elves, but were much weaker than even the smallest elf. Their numbers balanced their weakness, and they attacked only to lose ten times the number of lives we suffered. Glestyin was outraged. We prepared to start the First War.**

**The war lasted for several decades, until finally Glestyin and Helstram came to a compromise. They would split the continent in half to separate humans from elves. The two continents were set as far apart as possible to keep the peace in check.**

Link found the book to be very interesting, so he put it in his bag for future reading.

* * *

Chapter 8: The Skirmish at Caulren

Link gathered ten knights and headed toward the stables. He briefed them as they walked and carefully avoided prying ears. Soon they arrived at the stables and found the two mage assassins, Clire and Theldin, waiting with twelve horses. Link quickly prepared Silvertoe for travel, and ordered his men to find food for the trip.

As the group of warriors departed, Zelda bid them farewell with a sweet song. She sang,

_In the eyes of my heart a picture of you stays,_

_Forever reliving the moment when you left me._

_I know you will return one day, but until then I shall wait,_

_For you to come back to me._

When she ended, a tear fell from her face. Link looked away, and knew that he would return to Zelda. His men applauded, then looked at their leader for orders. Link briskly commanded, "To Caulren."

After two days of a very grueling pace, the warriors arrived at Caulren. During the trip, Link devised a plan that would catch the enemy off-guard. It involved eight of the ten knights hiding behind buildings to be used for an ambush, and the other two knights as bodyguards. The assassins would try to sink at least one of the twenty-one ships. Link's specific orders for the knights were to, "Keep fighting until either Clire or Theldin fire a red light into the air."

The plan was set, and Link stood at the edge of the dock to await Nazrox. He looked at the landscape with a military view and thought, _With this port having an almost closed in bay, it would be very easy to defend. However, if the enemy did penetrate the defenses nothing would stand in their way._ He then saw a small boat emerge from the main ship.

He waited for the boat to land. Nazrox stepped onto the dry land. "Hmm, looks like you expect to be attacked, Link. I suspected something like this," Nazrox said as four brawny sailors steeped out of the rowboat. "The Queen's reply is," Link started, but found it hard to talk, "that we would surrender over my dead body."

"So be it. I will begin the invasion in three days."

"May I ask what methods you will employ on us, we have only a small army. Out of fairness, you should tell us at least one thing of importance in order for this war to be civilized."

"Who said anything about being civilized?" replied Nazrox as he stepped back toward his boat. With a tap on his breastplate, Link gave the gesture for attack. His men rushed out at their startled prey from behind various objects and buildings. Nazrox drew his sword and an embroidered stick about the length of Link's forearm. He parried one of the knights' attacks and dodged another. He was faster then Link had suspected he would be. Nazrox then pointed the stick at one of the knights, and pulled on a thin piece of metal at the bottom of the contraption. It made a horrible sound that echoed across the bay. A stream of smoke surrounded the knight, and accompanied the sound. When the smoke cleared, the knight was on the ground holding his slumped shoulder.

_What was that? _Link thought as he fended off an attack. He slashed at the sailor, and caught him on the arm. The sailor looked at the gash in his arm and threw himself at Link with rage. Link quickly dodged the human, and finished him off by impaling the poor soul with Arget Brisingr. The sailor fell to the ground without a sound. Link looked at the enemy armada, and saw one of the ships slowly spinning. As he watched, it spun faster and faster until it was finally sucked into the shallow water by a giant whirlpool. The men on shore stopped fighting when they heard the very loud grinding noise coming from the armada. Link knew that the ship's hull was moving along the seabed, and very soon the ship would break into chunks. Then a red ball flew into the air and exploded into an array of red light. Link saw this, but ignored it because of a rowboat in the water not too far from shore. Only one man was in it; the coward Nazrox. _He left his own men behind. We'll have to finish them off._ The last three sailors were very well trained in sword fighting and held off the knights for about an hour. Then the mage assassins arrived and finished them off.

"Very good, everyone. Clire, Theldin, which of you destroyed the ship?" asked a very impressed Link. Clire answered, "It was a group effort. Theldin held off the bowmen, and made all the rowboats float away, so that no reinforcements could come to their aide, and I made the water churn."

"When we arrive at the castle, you will both be rewarded. As for you, knights, if all of those sailors are that good at fighting then we are in huge trouble. We need to start training the army immediately. Now, let's head back to the castle," Link said with a king's enthusiasm and prose.

The new king somehow knew that he was doing well in guiding his kingdom.

* * *

Chapter 9: The Search for Ganon

Nazrox climbed out of the tiny rowboat and onto the ladder of the main ship. He knew he had to invade Hyrule, but one of the more important ships had been sunk. It held a small part of the Baltrithian Army entrusted to Nazrox for the invasion. All the men on that ship died. Meltran was going to be very angry. He climbed over the top of the side, and gave the order to invade Hyrule.

The order passed through the armada like a whirlwind. Soon the armada began its sail toward the coast. All the men had swords and the higher ranked officers also had guns. When they reached the shore, they carried out the invasion orders to the best of their ability. However, it was harder to complete without the support of the army.

They immediately took control of Caulren, using all of its resources to their advantage. Men were sent to outlying farms to extract precious food for the hungry sailors, who had eaten only salted pork and dried fruit for two months. The villagers did not cooperate with Nazrox or his men. They constantly sabotaged orders, and if ordered to construct something they tied all the knots loosely, resulting in a number of deaths. Nazrox employed a punishment system; if you were found to be doing something against Baltrian's invasion of Hyrule you would be tortured as a warning to others. Then if found guilty by Nazrox a second time, you would be hanged. Nazrox had to put only five men to death before the people started to cooperate.

Eventually, Caulren became Nazrox's Invasion Headquarters. Nazrox was glad that Caulren had a few stonewalls already built, because it would be much easier to fortify his position with a starting point of where to build walls. He sent about half of Caulren's villagers to either retrieve stone, or build upon the walls. Thirty of his men were sent to oversee the operations.

After the orders to build the walls, Nazrox found his second in command. Nazrox gave him a schedule of things to do, hopefully before Nazrox came back. "This a very long list, and how are we supposed to get that much lumber, sir?"

"Cut down the forest, there's plenty of it around. Try at least to get the first ten things finished. I will be back in about three weeks."

"Sir, where are you going?"

"To find a potential ally. Be ready in three weeks."

"Yes, sir."

Nazrox did not leave Caulren immediately, because he wanted to speak with the elder again. Nazrox found him in the tavern. "Elder, give me the location of the Spirit Temple or I shall kill your entire family."

"Oh my! Please don't do that. My daughter is pregnant, and I have a wife. Please don't hurt them."

"Give me the location or I will have my men put them to death right now."

"Ok, just please don't hurt them. The Spirit Temple is near the Haunted Wasteland, far west of Hyrule Field."

The elder continued to give Nazrox the directions until the elder said, "and that is where the Spirit Temple lies."

"Thank you. You shall have your wish, because you gave me such detailed directions I will order my men to not harm your family, ever."

"I shall not forget this, Nazrox."

"Nor shall I."

After a week of following the elder's directions, Nazrox finally found the Spirit Temple. It was a majestic building, with its huge dome and four pillars making a circle inside of a square. The dome had four different colors: red, blue, yellow, and green, and was built upon a pure white platform.

Nazrox walked toward the giant building, only to find that it was much farther away than it looked. After another two hours of walking, he finally found the entrance to the Spirit Temple. The entrance had no doors, only a large round opening with two guards holding pikes. "I would like to worship here," lied Nazrox. One guard replied, "Very well, walk up the stairs on your left." The other stated, "If you go up the right steps you will be killed without question." Nazrox had found where Ganon was hidden without being told outright.

* * *

Chapter 10: Trials in Stone

"Thank you. I'll be on my way." As Nazrox passed the guards he drew two small daggers. Silently he slit their throats, and proceeded up the forbidden stairs. The stairway led to a door on the top floor of the dome. Nazrox opened the door and found a pedestal with a small wooden box placed neatly on top. In front of the pedestal stood four statues. He walked into the room and looked closer at the statues. Each statue had the same facial features and body structure, though they held different weapons, including a long sword, a flail, a pike, and a bow.

Nazrox took a step back, breathed deeply, and took out his gunpowder. He placed the gunpowder on top of the statue with the bow, then took out his gun and shot the powder. The head of the statue was ripped apart. Nazrox was pleased with himself for defiling the priceless statue. He heard a faint crumbling sound. One of the other statues began to turn its head toward Nazrox. Its eyes began to glow a bright red as the rest of its body cracked, until it loosed itself from the ground. It brought its mace high and swung, but Nazrox rolled away. He lunged for the box, but was stopped by the other statues. He now faced a terrible dilemma. How was he supposed to destroy rock without more gunpowder?

An idea struck Nazrox. He ducked behind a pillar at the back of the room. The statue with the pike swung and hit the pillar, cracking it with the pike. The statue with the sword swung straight at Nazrox, but missed and struck the floor. He jumped in between the two statues. They faced each other, swung as Nazrox ducked, and accidentally destroyed themselves.

One problem still had to be faced. The last statue had not yet been overcome, and was targeting Nazrox. He quickly took the stone sword, and tried to raise it. _This is much too heavy for me, but if I am to prevail I must win._ He flipped the sword over and hurled it at the statue. In the end, all that was left of the statue has a heap of rubble.

* * *

The Final Chapter: Ganon's Return

Nazrox looked at the small box. It seemed to glow golden, though what was inside he knew to be the darkest most sinister soul in the world. He took the box by both hands, and opened it. A small green sphere was inside. _This is it, Ganon's soul. "Right you are Nazrox. I have been waiting for your arrival for some time."_

_What? Ganon? How can it be?_

"_I am only a spirit now, a weak form of my old self. If I could have a body… I have learned much in the spirit world, mainly from other evils. I have found that I can in-a-sense posses, but not completely. Do you want power, Nazrox?"_

_Yes. I have wanted to destroy my enemies for a long time now, and if you "posses" me what will I get in return?_

"_My thoughts, and my powers. My skills, and my advice. Yes, you will be powerful."_

_Take my body._

The green sphere slowly rose, and moved towards Nazrox's face. The sphere then embedded itself into Nazrox's forehead. Nazrox's body then began to change. The sphere turned into another eye, the other two glowed green, his muscles became stronger, and his mind became filled with thoughts that were not only his own. "_Nazrox, it is complete."_

_Good we shall begin the invasion of Hyrule together._

"_Yes. We shall be stronger than anyone. Including Link."

* * *

_

Aftermath

Nazrox took the main ship of the armada back to Baltrian, and killed Meltran. He took control of Baltrian and strengthened the invasion force tenfold. He would have revenge for the destruction of one of his ships.

Link prepared the army for any attack. He advised all towns to be on alert for suspicious people. The townsfolk were in a state of fear as Hyrule's main cities were transformed into forts. The Second War would soon begin.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thanks to _Nintendo _for making such great games and stories.

Thanks to my dad for editing.

Thanks to my friends who are always asking for more.

I do not own any characters of The Legend of Zelda.


	4. Part 4: Nazrox's Reign

Nazrox's Reign

By: Sketzer

(Based on the Legend of Zelda games)

* * *

Prologue

Over the course of two months, Nazrox's army had overrun Hyrule. He proved his magical power by destroying houses with a flick of his finger. However, this information was unknown to Link because of the destruction of his intelligence network. The overwhelming numbers of Nazrox's forces devastated Link's army. After conquering every town and village, Nazrox drove Link's army back to Hyrule Field, nearing his goal of world domination. Link awaited the crucial conflict with the remainder of his army hoping to somehow defeat his enemy.

* * *

Chapter 1: Ganon's Assassin

Link sat under a waterfall, contemplating the impending battle. _I know the makeshift palisade wall won't last very long, but we must hold our ground. I will only retreat to the castle as a last resort. My mage assassins must also be conserved, there are only eight left._ This went on for some time until Gravis, General of the Hyrulian Army, came to Link with a few reports. "Your majesty, the Baltrithian Army is in the forest just outside our sight. We are waiting for the ambassador to return with word from the enemy, and the last of our spies have returned to inform us Nazrox may be with his army."

"Hmm, that would be horrible. Any news from the castle?"

"Yes, they managed to construct a small ditch of spikes around the perimeter of the castle."

"Who's idea was that?"

"Mine. I'll be back in three hours with another report, majesty."

"I like it, very good. You are dismissed General Gravis."

Link put on his casual green tunic, and began to practice fencing. After practicing he took out his bow to hunt squirrels and birds to sharpen his senses for the battle to come. Finally, he decided on one last shot. He closed his eyes and listened to the wind and the waterfall. Hearing a rustle of leaves, he loosed a shot into a tree. A masked man dressed in all black fell out of the branches.

Immediately, Link went to the man to check the wounds. The arrow was embedded deeply into the man's chest, but he was still alive. Link peeled off the man's mask to reveal a blonde haired blue-eyed human. Link began to interrogate him. "What were you doing in that tree?"

"I was…trying to ki… kill you."

"Let me guess, orders from Nazrox?"

"No, it was…it was…" The man's eyes began to glaze as though a deep sleep was on its way to rescue him from the world. "Who?" asked Link, "Stay with me. Who ordered you to kill me?"

"Gan…on…" The man fell limp in Link's arms. _So, Ganon has returned? We'll see who wins this war, _Link thought.

* * *

Chapter 2: Battle Preparations

Nazrox stood on a tall tree stump in front of his entire army. This was the first war speech he had ever given. However, with Ganon's help he could easily stir his forces into blood frenzy. He looked over them like a teacher would a class, only Nazrox would teach cruelty and hate. His message began; "What you have been called here to do, is not to take lives. We are gathered here to make sure our homeland is safe from the Elf menace. I have sought you out not for my personal gain, but for you, your families, and for Baltrian. Meltran was nearsighted. He did not understand what a threat the Elves are to us. _I_ understand. _I_ will make sure that we can keep our families safe. All you must do is follow; follow and be led to glory in the eyes of your people. We shall be triumphant, for Baltrian!"

His speech may have been a complete lie, but was followed by a great "Hurrah!" The mass of the army charged out of the forest and into Hyrule Field.

Link's army prepared for the onslaught after the ambassador returned with a time for the battle. To make sure everything was secure Link personally checked every post twice. After he was sure everything was set, Link took up his post to wait for the coming battle.

It was afternoon when Nazrox's forces emerged from the trees. The army was so incredibly large it took them an hour to get their formation right. Link saw that a large part of the cavalry resided on the flanks. He drew a picture in the ground to help with his assessment.

T Trees

I Infantry, by 100's

C Cavalry, by 50's

B Bowmen, by 75's

S Siege Tower, by 1's

N Nazrox

T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T

C C C C B B B B S B B B B B B S B B B B B B B B S B B B B B B S B B B B C C C C

C C C I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I C C C

C C I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I C C

C I I I C C C C C C I I I I C C N C C I I I I C C C C I I I I C C T

T T T T

T T

T T T T

T T T

"Gravis, this is going to be a very tough battle," Link said in a low voice.

"I agree majesty. I suggest that we use the wall only as a fallback point for regrouping."

T Trees

W Palisade Wall

I Infantry, by 10's

B Bowmen, by 10's

C Cavalry, by 3's

L Link

WW W W W W W W W W W W WWWWW

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

TT I B I BBB I BB I BB I BBB I BBB I BBB I BBB I BBB I BBB I BBB I I BBB TT

TTT I I C C C I I I I I C C I I I I C C C L C C C I I I I C C B B B B B B I I C C I TT

TT C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C TTT

"No, we should use the wall to its fullest. We cannot afford to retreat in the middle of battle."

"Hmm, I agree. We don't want to leave our forces unprotected. If that is the strategy, then we must use our superior bow range. If we can damage most of their cavalry, we could offset them. The question is which flank do we take out?"

"Which of our flanks is weaker?"

"The left."

"Then we destroy their right flank. That is my order."

"It will be conveyed, majesty."

"Dismissed, and good luck."

"To you also, majesty."

Link knew that if they could hold somehow, Hyrule would be safe from then on. In one hour the battle would begin, and the fate of Hyrule would be decided.

After one hour both armies were ready to fight. Link rode out to meet Nazrox again to personally negotiate the conditions of battle. They stopped at the halfway point between their armies. Nazrox spoke first, "Well it seems we are once again negotiating, Link. What are _your_ terms?"

"My terms are that we use only the strength of our armies, no magic."

"Very well, but I can't stop him from using them."

"Who? Tell me! Who, Nazrox, who?" Link then thought for a moment and added, "An old _friend_ of mine?"

"Hmm, you could say that. See you on the battlefield, Link." Nazrox let out a long laugh as he rode back toward his army. Link stayed for a moment and thought, _He set Ganon free, but where he is, I have not a clue._ He then turned and joined his army.

Link's orders to the officers were to wait for Link to fire the first arrow. As the Baltrithian Army marched closer, Link took out his bow. He looked at Selestie, who had been gone under orders from Link, and said, "Are they ready Seles?" She looked at him gravely and replied, "Yes, they are always ready to help Hyrule."

"Good, we will need all the help that we can get. How did you wake them?"

"I am a fairy, Link. You know that I have many talents dealing in the art of magi. However, right now it is very hard to concentrate. There is a huge evil nearby, but I cannot tell where."

"I bet it is Ganon. Nazrox set him free. An assassin of his tried to kill me."

"Hmm, he must have new powers from losing his body. Perhaps he has possessed someone. If so, we may be able to be rid of him forever."

"How? Every time I thought he was "gone" he always came back somehow."

"When a person is possessed by a spirit, the only thing the spirit can hold onto is that person's soul. When that person dies, the spirit holding onto the soul cannot let go as he is bound to them by magic. That person's soul then moves on, along with the spirit possessing them."

"So all I have to do is kill whoever Ganon is possessing."

"Yes. The only trick is discovering who he possesses?"

"Hmm, I cannot be sure. Nazrox's army destroyed my intelligence network. So I have no way of knowing who is possessed. I suppose if they use their powers today then we shall know."

"I agree, Link."

Link looked back to Nazrox's forces. The time had come. He strung the bow, and then drew an arrow. He loaded his bow, pulled, aimed, and fired.

* * *

Chapter 3: The Battle on Hyrule Field

A rain of arrows followed Link's, which had firmly embedded itself into an enemy horseman. The arrowheads shimmered as they flew across the sky and into the enemy ranks, where they would be forever doused in blood. More and more of the cavalry fell, until only a scattered few of them remained. Link ordered the bowmen to fire-at-will, and the result came as an endless flurry of shots. Very few arrows missed their targets, though the enemy never seemed to become smaller in size.

When Nazrox's army had nearly reached Link's wall, Link turned to Selestie and said plainly, "It is time, contact them." Selestie took on a look of absolute concentration then stopped and said, "It is done." Immediately hordes of monstrous and wild animals poured out from the trees. Link saw bears, wolves, crows, and even deer hit the sides of the enemy. Link knew that they had been taken by surprise because some of the men turned and fled. Those who did quickly met their demise as the animals made quick work of them. Soon, however, the enemy regained its composure and began to fend off the animals. Selestie contacted them again to have them retreat.

The enemy had now reached Link's wall, and the army parted for the siege towers to commence moving forward. To Link's dismay he saw that Minotaurs were pushing the towers. _How in the world did Nazrox find them? I thought they were a thing of legend. I had heard stories of them from older magicians when I was a child, but I never thought they would actually exist. This may turn out to be worse than I had imagined._ Link ordered the bowmen to attack the minotaurs, but they were so heavily armored that all the arrows fired at them merely ricocheted off. He canceled the order and set them back to firing at the troops. He then went to the tent that housed the mage assassins. "You are needed, Minotaurs are pushing four siege towers toward the wall, and you need to either kill the Minotaurs or destroy the siege towers." The group of mages looked at each other then said, "Yes, your majesty."

Clire was now the leader of the mage assassins, and gave them their orders and strategy for battle. He set them in groups of two, and assigned Theldin and himself the far left tower.

When they all reached their destinations they began pick off the Minotaurs one by one. After three were killed, archers in the siege towers began firing at the mages. Most of the arrows were deflected, but a very well placed shot found its way into the leg of Theldin. Clire saw this, and quickly came to his aid. "Looks like it was a good thing we paired up, eh Theldin?" Theldin looked up at his best friend and smiled then said, "Just get me off this wall." Not wanting to waste time healing Theldin, Clire picked him up. He then proceeded to take Theldin down to the hospital tent. There were wounded men everywhere. A pile of dead bodies lay next to a large fire, where men would strip them of useful items, and then were traditionally cremated.

Clire laid Theldin on one of the beds, and then rushed back to his post where he found a caldron of molten rock. With magic he lifted the caldron over the tower, then poured. As the very hot rock ate its way through the wood, men in the siege tower began to jump off. In two minutes the siege tower was no more. Clire went to see how the others were doing. Every siege tower had either been stopped or destroyed, except for one. That one carried five mages who deflected everything that the Hyrulian mages attacked them with. Clire regrouped the seven remaining mage assassins, and gave a very specific order: "Hit them with everything you've got." This led to a barrage of magical attacks, which was designed to weaken the enemy mages enough for the archers to finish them off. Clire then pulled as much energy as he could from the surrounding area, and sent a massive fireball directly into the center of the siege tower. It was completely obliterated.

Nazrox could not believe that Ganon's plans were failing left and right. _"Ganon, I thought you were good at making plans."_

_I am, that twerp Link always ruins them. He finds some item or person that stops my plan, so I make another. And another. And another, yet he always defeats me. He's very resourceful._

"_I can tell, which spell do you think will be the best in knocking this puny wall over?"_

_The Halten Neroth spell._

"_The rock golem spell? Why that?"_

_I have never used it on Link before. He won't know what hit him._

"_Very well."_

To be safe, Nazrox made ten rock golems. They were the size of an ogre, and looked as though they had walked straight out the side of a mountain. Nazrox set them loose upon the wall. They began tearing at the bottom of the wooden logs as though it was made of paper. Every time they hit, their eyes glowed a mysterious red. It took no more than ten minutes for a section of the wall to come down. Nazrox's men poured into the chasm. There to meet them however was the entire Hyrulian Cavalry, directed personally by Link.

The horses charged into the enemy infantry. Clire, who was on the horse next to Link, knocked all the spears out of the way with a single spell. The cavalry pressed on until they came face to face with Nazrox.

* * *

Chapter 4: A Lucky Strike and Unfortunate Retreat

"Link, how nice of you to come visit me. Don't worry about being attacked right now, you have more important matters to attend to." Link looked around and saw that the fighting around where they were had diminished. He looked back at Nazrox and said, "Yeah, which spear I'm going to put your severed head on."

"You should know better than to rouse anger in your enemies, especially when they are stronger than you." Nazrox began to glow a tainted red, then slowly lifted into the air, and hovered above the battlefield. "I am more powerful than any man! I have Ganon!" Link looked on in despair. _I should've realized that Ganon would possess Nazrox. It makes more sense than cooking meat with a fire. This is horrible. Two of my enemies packed into one body._

"I shall rip your _pathetic _wall down with my shear power!"

"Nazrox! It's time you and I had a fight, one against one. Come down and fight me," commanded Link.

"You think that you can stand up to me? You will be destroyed by the force of my power!" Nazrox lowered himself back to ground level, but he hovered a few inches above it. Link demounted his horse, and unsheathed his sword. Nazrox began the battle by using the same attack that had almost killed him a few years ago. Link swung Arget Brisingr into the fireball, which exploded into a thousand smaller flames. He then moved toward Nazrox, and began to slice at the Emperor. Nazrox easily dodged each attack as he moved with purpose. Link found himself between Nazrox and a Minotaur. _Great, I became blinded with tunnel vision. _The Minotaur lifted a giant club, and swung at the small Hyrulian king. Link dodged the deadly blow, and plunged his sword into the ox-man's side. The Minotaur let out an excruciatingly loud roar, and fell to one knee. He was wheezing. _How lucky! I punctured his lung, now to finish him off._ Link took his sword and held it with both hands. He swung, but the brute stopped the blow with its bracer.

The duel that ensued was very intense. When Link dodged an attack, the Minotaur's club sent men from both armies flying in every direction. At one point the Minotaur took Link by the cape, and brought him close to its face. The eyes were full of hatred, and the breath smelled of blood. Its horns were red with blood, and its fur soaked with sweat. Link dropped his sword, unable to use it in such close proximity, and pulled out a dagger. He inversed the dagger and buried it in the brute's stomach. It let out another roar and fell to its knees. It coughed up a mixture of blood and bile. Link wiped off his dagger and took his sword again. He beheaded the monster with one stroke.

When Link looked around, Nazrox was no longer in the vicinity. _I lost him. He will destroy the wall._ Link made his was back to Clire and told him to fire the signal for retreat. After Clire fired, the Baltrithians overran the wall. Unfortunately, General Gravis and a small company of soldiers became trapped and killed. Almost the rest of the army returned to the castle.

* * *

Chapter 5: The Passage

Link knew that everything he said would have impact on the overall morale, so he decided on a speech. This speech would the people that the king would do everything in his power to stop the madman Nazrox. Link stood on the front balcony and looked over the rest of his kingdom. It had been reduced to inside the walls of the castle. Things were not good at all. The barracks was overcrowded, every room in the castle held the people who had lost their homes, and worst of all there was not enough food for everyone.

Sometimes small groups of Nazrox's army would survey the area, only to find the walls shut tight and arrows flying past their ears. Link was still amazed that Nazrox had let Ganon possess him. _Ganon never takes orders; Nazrox is only his pawn now. So Ganon learned a few tricks from the humans, but he is the same as he always was. Pathetic._

Link had everyone in the kingdom gathered in front of the high balcony, where the Kings or Queens of Hyrule gave their speeches. He looked over his people as though a child looked at a puppy. He cared for them with all his heart. Then his mind was filled with the face of his wife. He loved her even more than he loved his kingdom. _I will bring peace to this land again._

He went back into his room for ten minutes to read out of the "kings' diary" as he thought of it. Link had no time to read until now because he was constantly bombarded with thing needing to be finished or started. _That happens during war I suppose. _He took up the book and opened it.

**King Mortin I:**

**A ship arrived early this morning. It was filled with humans. I have always thought the humans were evil, ever since they assassinated poor Lithidor. Fortunately, Glestyin made sure that the humans would not be able to return for a very long time. However, these humans managed to reach Hyrule, the name Glestyin now calls this land. Evidently, the Helstram named his Baltrian. Glestyin soon said, "My work here is finished. When I die, my body will turn into pure energy. That energy will then create seven statues. The statues are to be placed around Hyrule so that it may retain its glory. If they are moved, that area of Hyrule will be turned into wasteland until the statue is returned." When she died, we did as she asked. Each statue was of an animal unique to that region. Each animal was given only extended life and they all died within seven days of each other. We buried each at the location of the statues that represented them so. Somehow it seems that the statues grew more powerful since then.**

When Link finished the passage he noticed the rumble that the people were making. They wanted their king. He obliged them.

* * *

The Final Chapter: The War's Next Chapter

Link knew full well that Ganon would do anything to get into the castle, even if it meant sieging the castle for a hundred years. _I can wait any amount of time, Ganon. I am pure elf. You cannot, you're only human. The castle's wall is protected from all evil, so he cannot get in. I'm safe._

Link went to find the mage assassins. He found them in their usual study spot just on the other side of the well. "Clire," said Link, "I want you and Theldin to come with me." The two looked at each other, stood, and said, "Yes, your majesty?"

"Walk with me." Link turned toward the garden and the two followed. "I am going to give you orders and you will tell me if they make sense or not."

"Yes, sir?"

"I want you to watch the walls alongside the archers. Be sure to take shifts. I don't want you becoming too tired."

"This makes little sense, sir," said Theldin.

"It makes perfect sense, Theldin," corrected Clire, "you forgot the reason why we retreated didn't you. The golems broke through the wall. His majesty wants us to make sure that doesn't happen again. Right, your majesty?"

"You are correct, Clire. Also, if Nazrox figures out how to surpass the magic in the walls we'll need you there. Understand?"

"Yes, your majesty," they said simultaneously.

"Good tell the others, and don't forget to take shifts."

_Nazrox, we are doing very well._

_"I know that Ganon, but how do we get inside the castle?"_

_Simple, control someone's mind._

Over the next few weeks, nothing but tragedy struck the castle. A child fell down the well and died. The food storage caught fire. Then the worst happened, a mage assassin committed suicide. Link began to have suspicions. _Why are these things happening? Could it somehow be connected to Ganon?_ He found the Head Wizard, Zintril, and asked for help.

"Zintril, is there any way, physical or otherwise, that Ganon could enter this castle?"

"I'm not sure. The castle has never been tested under real war conditions. It is possible that Ganon could set spells on the inhabitants of the castle."

"What kind of spells could be used against us?"

"There are many kinds of spells, I will need to research first."

"Ok, do that for me please."

"Yes, your majesty."

_"It's working, they don't suspect a thing."_

_Don't be so naïve, Nazrox. Link will have suspicions by now. We must wait for a time, and then strike again._

_"Very well."_

After one week, events turned better for the Hyrulians. Bad things stopped occurring, and Zintril narrowed down the type of spell being used on Hyrule. Zintril found Link in the King's Room. "Your majesty, I have narrowed down the list of spells."

"Yes, and what have you come to?"

"The spells include all jinxes and curses. One, however, has been nagging my mind." He opened a book and placed it upon Link's table. "Crenda Protia the mind control spell."

"This must be it. Is there anything we can do?"

"I'm afraid not. Crenda Protia is a forbidden spell among the Hyrulian wizards. To use it would mean the forfeit of rank and power. It is also unblockable. There is no known counter-curse for this spell."

"Then I want you and your people to devise one."

"Your majesty! Do you understand what you are asking? It takes years of tests and calculation to perfect a spell. Not only that, but we are dealing with a very powerful sorcerer. Even more so than myself."

"At least try. I will not have Ganon undermining my kingdom at his leisure. We must put up some sort of fight. Do it."

"Yes, your majesty."

Link closed the door behind Zintril and went to contemplating other ways of damaging Ganon and Nazrox's forces. _With conventional means I could send out a group of men at nightfall to burn the enemy camps. But that would also permanently damage the forest. Poison? No, too tricky. What about magic? _Then an idea struck his mind. He retrieved Zintril and told him to find the mage assassins. The mage assassins joined Link in the armory. "My loyal bodyguards. It is time to send you off for a very important mission. There are seven Sacred Statues deep in the wilderness, protected only by the forces of nature. I need you to retrieve six of them. Each one holds the essence of the land in which it resides. If you take it from its pedestal, the land loses _all_ of its properties. The air becomes thick, water dries up, and the magic disappears. If you take six of the statues, we can bring the enemy down to our level. Obviously, the one that must stay is the statue for the land we are in. I had a run in with it once; it is called the Statue of Kokiri."

"Your majesty?" interrupted Clire, "This is a lot to handle, but the wall will still need guarding."

"I understand. One of you should stay, but only one."

Clire spoke again, "It should be Theldin. Even though we healed his leg it still isn't working right. I want Zintril to have a look at it."

"Very well, Theldin stays. As for the rest of you, all of Hyrule is counting on you." Link bowed to his men, and they bowed in return.

"Dismissed."

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thanks to _Nintendo _for making such great games and stories.

Thanks to my dad for editing.

Thanks to my friends who are always asking for more.

I do not own any characters of The Legend of Zelda.


	5. Part 5: The Seven Statues

The Seven Statues

By: Sketzer

(Based on the Legend of Zelda games)

* * *

Prologue

Link finally had the plan of how he would finally defeat Nazrox and Ganon. He was going to use the land of Hyrule itself to defeat them. All he needed was for his mage assassins to get the statues and bring them safely to the castle. He and the head wizard Zintril had been researching as much as they could in the library. They discovered that the statues are a never-ending source of mana from which all of Hyrule feeds. If one was taken, the balance would be offset and certain parts would grow faster where others would perish. When the balance is restored the land returns too normal. Also, they formed a theory that when a statue is taken, anyone in the land that perishes is sent into limbo. Link planned to use the statues to overgrow the forest, and trap or weed out the Baltrithian Army.

* * *

Chapter 1: An Old Friend

Clire's orders were to retrieve the Statue of Kakariko in Kakariko Village. Clire watched as a few Baltrithian sentries harassed an older looking elf, but he couldn't just let them push a Hyrulian around. Clire counted how many enemies there were. _Five. This'll be a cinch. I just have to surprise them._ Clire hid behind a stack of crates, and prepared a simple stunning spell. When the humans began to push the old hermit elf, the old hermit elf snapped and began fighting back at the humans. The old elf was not strong, but was skilled and graceful. He moved between and around the humans, until the humans began throwing random punches, a sign of their drunkenness. The hermit elf then caught one of their punches and spun the human around. When the human stopped spinning he bent over and vomited upon the ground. The old elf then kicked him between the legs, and the man keeled over into his own stomach fluids.

The other two humans ganged up on the hermit, pulling him to the ground. _Time to strike._ Clire proceeded to leap onto the crates, and used his stunning spell on one of the humans. He then unsheathed his sword. The human lunged at the new enemy, but was swiftly stopped by the blunt side of Clire's sword. As the human fell, Clire brought his sword back around and ran the man through. One of the other two grabbed the old hermit from behind, while the other punched the elder in the gut. Clire threw his sword at the man holding the hermit elf. The sword spun as it flew sticking into the leg of his target. The man screamed and grabbed the sword protruding from his injured appendage. The hermit ducked away as Clire instinctively sent a fire spell at the uninjured man. The man burst into an inferno, then collapsing into a pile of ash.

Clire finished off the injured man first, retrieving his sword in the process. Then finished the stunned man with the quick flick of his sword. The final man had drowned in his stomach fluids. The hermit invited Clire into his house, and then asked him who he was. "I am Clire, a special knight to the king of Hyrule. I am on a mission," he stated respectfully. It was the hermit's turn to talk, "I'll say you're special. You deal in magic, eh? Hmm, I'm a bit of a potionist myself. But I also dabble in the arts of magic from time to time."

"That's nice, but I must continue my mission."

"Wait! You don't even know my name. I'm Giltram."

"Giltram… where have I heard that?"

"I helped King Link once before, but it was when he was not king yet. I helped him to defeat Ganon and encase him in the box at the Spirit Temple."

"So you are _the _Giltram. Wow, I never thought I'd run across you."

"Well, I am a hermit. I don't normally like company. However, you helped me so I am in your debt. I want to accompany you on your mission."

"I'm sorry but the mission is top secret."

"Heh, I'm sure the King won't mind. I want to see him again anyway."

"Well… ok. But if you are someone other than Giltram…"

"I am Giltram, and you have no need to threaten me."

"Ok, get your things."

Chapter 2: Ganon's Goal

Link took the diary he found in his floor sometime ago. With all the things needing to be done in the war he found no time for himself. He sat at his desk and opened the book to his bookmark and read.

**King Lithidor II:**

**I am the first Elf-Human King of Hyrule. My father liked the humans very much. So much so that he learned each of the hundred of them by name. One however, called Ganon, poisoned some of my father's fruit and killed him. I will find that madman.**

**It has been found that a number of odd creatures are appearing in the wild. I have had scholars sketch them and they look like a sea creature I have seen in the castle's library, the Octopus. Since they fire rocks out of their noses (should I call them snouts?), I will name them Octorocks. I am not sure but I believe they have something to do with Ganon.**

**I managed to meet Ganon in person, though it was a strange meeting indeed. When I accused him of being a Baltrithian he said, "I was not sent here by those stupid wretched humans. I am my own race. I am everything, yet also nothing. You elves disgust me with your _pointy_ ears and _pretty_ faces." So I asked, "Why are you here?" He replied, "I am drawn here by the magic that saturates the air. It is old yet new. The taste is so very sweet. You see I am drawn to magic like a moth to flame. The closer I reach the hotter it burns." Then I asked, "Why do you seek the magic?" His answer was what confused me most. "I was born from magic. It is this, which I do not yet understand. In order for me to find myself I must find the most powerful magic. I can feel it right now. It grows then fades. The power is in this land, but how to find it is the question I have been asking myself for these past months." He turned and left without another word. I never saw him again.**

Link closed the book and wished that he had read this sooner. He raced to the wizard's tower in an effort to find Zintril, but to no avail. Next, he checked the library. There the wizard sat, nose in book as usual. "Zintril!" Link called, "I need you to have a look at this." Link shoved the diary between Zintril and the very large herbology book that the head wizard had been so intent on reading. "What's this?" asked Zintril. "Don't worry about that, just read."

The wizard read the diary entry closely. When he was finished he said, "Hmm… this uncovers much of our enemy. We know what he intends to accomplish. The only thing we don't know is which road he'll take to get there. I'll start checking the magical history books for anything that may help, but he is a dark sorcerer once stripped of a body. He may know things that can only come from being just a soul, which could've brought him very close to the netherworld." Link interrupted the old man's rambling. "I'll leave you to your work, Zintril."

* * *

Chapter 3: Kakarito Village

"So, where are we headed Clire?" Giltram asked as he checked his bags the final time. "To Kakarito, legend has it that a giant snake once protected the people of the village."

"Yes, I know that story. Ok, I've everything I need."

They left the house at midnight hoping to evade detection from human sentries. Their path was down the edge of Hyrule Field; reason being that Hyrule Field was surrounded by forest. When the sun came, they could hide and continue moving in the dense forest. After about three days, they came to the end of Hyrule Field.

Hyrule Field was a long plain with two ends. At one end there was a large path leading to the castle, but the other tapered into a very small path. That path led to Kakarito. They avoided the direct entrance to the path, but stayed near it in the cover of the forest. The path was long and winding and they found themselves almost going out of their way to avoid humans. The humans grew more and more numerous, until Clire and Giltram found a large wooden wall. "Giltram, have you ever been to Kakarito before?" Clire asked in a whisper. "Yes, but that was long ago. I don't seem to remember Kakarito having a wall though."

"Exactly my point. The humans must be using this village to house the troops closest to the castle. This may be very bad. We need to investigate."

"Yes, the king will want to know where the enemy is. Perhaps we could sabotage something."

"That's not honorable."

"Whom are we dealing with?"

"Good point."

Clire used a seeing spell to inspect the village. Though he was outside the wall, the spell enabled him to see the village as though the wall was not there. "Its worse than I thought, Giltram."

"How's that?"

"The humans are massing their army, though they should know by now that they cannot penetrate the castle walls."

"Perhaps they've found a way. Maybe when the walls were built, something was overlooked."

"Possibly. Not likely though. Wait! How do you know about the walls of Hyrule?"

"I am a little more than you think I am. I helped design the walls of Hyrule."

"What? So what did you overlook?"

"I'm not quite sure yet. It will take some reflection into my memories. If I remember something, I will tell you."

Clire used a spell to make a tunnel under the wall. Giltram took out a vial, "We'll need this if we are to be neither seen nor heard. This potion will do just that." Giltram proceeded to drink only a drop, and then handed the vial to Clire. "Only a drop will be needed for an hour, Clire." Clire nodded and took a drop of the potion. Slowly he felt warmth envelop him from the inside. As he looked at Giltram, it seemed that he had a hole that went straight through him. Amazingly, the potion cloaked clothes also. Giltram's hole grew larger until it moved down his arms and legs. Clire looked at himself only to find that he could not see half of his body.

Eventually the potion finished taking effect. They wasted no time in crawling under the wall and into the human base. What they found appalled them. The elves of the village were forced to do everything for the humans. The humans sat on large elven rugs growing fat and weak. The only reason this continued is because this was part of the rebellion, to make the humans weak and slow. Giltram and Clire split up to look around different parts of the base.

Giltram found the weapons cache, and wondered how to destroy it without drawing too much attention to himself or harming the innocents. He decided to set it aflame with an invention of his called "Dry Fire". It was a solid, but when you added water or spat on it… the block ignited. He set a few blocks around different parts of the cache, while not coming too close to the humans. When he was finished he left the village via Clire's tunnel, and waited for him.

Clire, however, found a house full of various supplies. He found rope, piles of wood, dried fruits, and other things that armies thrived on. He began a slightly complex spell that would burn the house with a fire that would not go out from water. He set the spell to work, and left the village.

"Clire, are you there?"

"Yes, I set a building on fire. What did you do?"

"Well, if it rains, the humans won't have very many weapons left."

"Hmm, I could arrange that."

"How?"

"By making it rain."

"Won't that put-out your fire?"

"No, it's magic fire."

Clire began a spell that took up much of his energy. Had there been more clouds in the sky the spell would've been much easier. Instead he took water from the well, and sent it into the sky. The rain fell and set the dry fire ablaze. Clire filled his tunnel with soft dirt in case they needed to use it again. Satisfied, the two moved out of the village's sight. When they reached their chosen campsite, the potion had worn off. They set up camp, and slept through the dimly lit night.

* * *

Chapter 4: The First Statue and a Lost Prophecy

It was early morning, and Link was fast asleep. As quickly as he had slept, Zelda awoke him. "Link! Link wake up! One of the mage assassins is back!" This breathed life into the half-sleeping king. "W-what? Show me!" Link got out of bed, and put on his robes. Zelda led him downstairs to the conference room, just next to the throne room. The entire council was already sitting in their usual places. The mage assassin, Sebastian, stood in the front of the room while holding a leather pouch. Link addressed him first. "Sebastian, good to see you alive! Is that the statue?" Link pointed to the leather pouch. Sebastian nodded and said, "I was waiting for you, your majesty, to reveal it to the council."

"Thank you, Sebastian. Hand me the pouch," replied Link. Sebastian handed Link the large pouch. Link could feel the power emanating from the large but amazingly light object. He took the strings, and untied them. The pouch fell from the protected object revealing a statue of a horned bear. "Cremtroil, the horned bear of the great river. Very good Sebastian, Hyrule's gratitude is everlasting." Link handed the statue to Zintril, who examined the statue for any trace of information. When he looked on the back of the bear, he gasped. "Oh my! I haven't seen this kind of writing in…ages. It's Ethanolian." One of the younger council members stood and said, "What is Ethanolian? And why do you know it…wizard?" It was Link's turn to speak, "Learn your manners, Milithun. Do not speak to your elders so." Milithun looked down in shame and replied, "Yes, your majesty."

Link turned his attention back to Zintril. "What is Ethanolian, Zintril? Please explain to the younger generation, where we came from." Zintril looked delighted, as though he wished someone had asked him that question fifty years ago. "Ethanol is the original name of Hyrule. However, Ethanol is not Hyrule. It was the joint continent of Baltrian and Hyrule. There was a goddess called Glestyin, and she created Ethanol and the elves. But her brother, Helstram, created the humans. She was outraged and the first war began between the humans and elves. The war lasted so long that she decided to split the continent in two. One half was for the elves, the other for the humans. It has been this way for three hundred years, until the humans came and invaded us. We are fighting the second war." Zintril then looked at the inscription again, and then read it aloud. "Te triforce re nuthu canthu tre drentare ti te triforce re hantrentar. Or, in our tongue, 'The power of one cannot be compared to the power of friends.' I believe this suggests that if the statues are reunited, then we shall have the power to defeat Ganon." Link was not surprised by this assessment, but was caught off guard by the decrepit scroll withdrawn by Zintril.

"I found this in the wizard archives last night. It is a prophecy. I am not yet certain of how it came into our possession, or who wrote it. However, upon reading it myself I can safely ensure that this is the answer to many of our majesty's questions." Zintril handed the prophecy to Link, who carefully untied it. He unrolled it, and then read to the council.

"_**A goddess and her creation shall make a child. The father in turn shall be granted an infinite time to help set the world straight. However, the father will not see his child grow, and will meet him only three times: once at birth, once as a young man, and once as a man of honor. The child shall be tied to the land in ways that is comprehendible only to the creator. The child requires the reunion of the friends of the land, to stop the darkness and bring peace to the world."**_

Link rolled up and tied the prophecy. He looked across the council and walked out the door, taking the scroll with him. Zelda followed him to his room. He shut and locked the door behind him; refusing to come out, saying, "Let me figure this out. Leave me alone!" Zelda was slightly hurt by his statement, but knew that with Link, reason came before emotion. "Link, please, you're being insensible. Let me come in and I'll help you decipher the prophecy." He replied with, "No! This is mine alone to understand. It was meant for me, and no other. Let me figure it out for myself."

"Link! As your wife I demand that you come out here at once and speak to me like a gentleman!"

"I am not a _gentleman_."

"Link, listen to yourself! You are being stone-headed! Come out and face me like a man!"

"Hmm, funny words. I am not a man. I am an elf!"

"Coward!"

Link, opened the door and looked at Zelda, his face full of rage. He pulled her into a very passionate kiss nearly equal to that of their first kiss. "Finally! Put some anger in you and you perk right up!"

"You planned that didn't you? You _devious_ little…"

"Hey! I do what I can. Let's figure this out."

He opened the scroll and placed it on a table. As it was late morning, there was plenty of light to see the parchment by. He read it out loud again, but one sentence at a time. "_A goddess and her creation shall make a child. _This must mean…" He pulled out the History of Hyrule and opened to the first entry. "Glestyin must have mated with one of the pure elves somehow. _The father in turn shall be granted an infinite time to help set the world straight. _The child's father must be very old, and perhaps an oddity among the elves. _However, the father will not see his child grow, and will meet him only three times: once at birth, once as a young man, and once as a man of honor. _This is very direct, do you see anything of this, Zelda?"

"No. He could be very old, but seems to be younger than he is. That could be many of the old men in Hyrule."

"Agreed. _The child shall be tied to the land in ways that is comprehendible only to the creator._ This couldn't be…" He turned to the third entry of the diary. "Ganon. It can't be Ganon because he came with the humans. Hmm. _The child requires the reunion of the friends of the land, to stop the darkness and bring peace to the world. _This is not very clear. I don't know what to make of it."

"Who is looking for seven people?"

This struck a chord in Link's mind. "Or seven things? I'm looking for seven statues that all came from the goddess Glestyin. What if I am the child that the prophecy talks of?"

"It would make sense, but how are you tied to the land?"

"I'm not sure. Thank you for helping, Zelda."

"That wasn't so hard was it?"

* * *

Chapter 5: Well Found Objective

Clire and Giltram woke that morning to a full view of fog. "What a dreary day, eh Clire?" Giltram was trying to start a fire, but had no luck with the damp sticks he found. "Yeah, this will be a great day to examine our damage."

"Agreed. What do you want for breakfast? Stale bread, or stale bread?"

"I think I want the latter."

They laughed at their misfortune for a few minutes, until Clire offered to start the fire. Giltram declined with an old Hyrulian proverb, "He who always takes the easy path, shall never truly gain self-wisdom." After an hour of work, Giltram managed a spark. They sat by the fire and ate the stale bread, until Clire stood and said, "If we're going to survey the village again, we had best do it now." They collected the needed items for what they would do. Giltram, who had woken before Clire, had managed to find a spitting cobra and made a blinding bomb out of its venom. Clire was amazed at the hermit's alchemy skills. "Giltram, how did you become so good at alchemy?"

"Well, being a hermit, I have a lot of time on my hands."

To the Baltrithian Army's new general, there was something very odd about Nazrox. Nazrox had begun to meditate, and had grown his hair out to wear over his forehead and ears. Every time the general caught him off-guard, Nazrox looked almost demonic.

"_Ganon, I believe it is time to strike."_

_No, wait for the rock golems to return. Only then will we be strong enough._

_"Yes, I agree. However, if we wait too long Link may come up with a way to stop us. We will be in great trouble if…"_

_Silence, Nazrox! You are being paranoid. There is no way to stop the Ceth-aneth._

_"We must still take precautions. If he finds a way around, we will look like fools!"_

Clire and Giltram made their way into Kakarito with a little less stealth. They took the invisibility potion again. An idea struck Clire. "Hey! Are we going to split up again?"

"Sure, why?"

"Because if we whisper and we are not together, we run the chance of being caught."

"That would be a problem, but what else could we do?"

"I'll draw a half circle in the dirt, and you complete it."

"Ok. Let us begin."

They proceeded through the front gate. Clire put sleeping spells on the more isolated guards. The sleeping spells would only wear off if he was too far away from them to keep his hold, and the hold would grow weaker if he put the spell on too many of them. So he put the spell on only seven guards, but it was enough to make passage through the village much easier.

Giltram looked all over the village trying to find a sign of the statue of Kakarito, but couldn't find anything. Suddenly and idea popped into his mind. _If I can talk to the elder, I may be able to locate the statue._ Giltram searched for the elder in very nearly every house in the village, but could not find him anywhere. Even though Giltram had not been to Kakarito for decades, the elder of Kakarito was one of his few friends. Finally, Giltram ended up in front of the makeshift jail set-up by the humans. Giltram made his way inside whilst looking in each cell. He was not surprised to find only elves in the cells; no humans anywhere save the ones patrolling the long wooden halls. Giltram had almost given up, when he spotted a single cell with two guards. _That must be where the elder is. Makes sense that they would keep him isolated from the other elves. He's always been good with words._

Clire tried to focus his senses on the magic in the area, but when he did his senses overloaded. _The statue must be nearby; the magic here is too strong to be normal._ Clire tried to keep unfocused to the magic in the area, and tried to sense its source at the same time. He was drawn to the center of town, where there was a large plaza and a well. He let the feeling engulf him. It guided him straight to the well, where eight humans were posted. _Where is the statue? I'm drawn to the well, but why? _Then it clicked. _The statue is at the bottom of the well. There is no way for me to get to the well alone. I wonder where Giltram is?_ He drew a half circle in the ground, and waited for Giltram.

As Giltram's spell began to fade, wavy lines appeared whenever he moved. Slowly, he walked towards the two guards and took out a sleeping powder encased in a vial. He threw the vial between the guards, forming a large greenish-yellow mist. The guards choked, then fell to the ground. After the powder had dispersed, Giltram kneeled next to the guard and whispered, "I know how you feel, really." He proceeded to take the keys from one guard and opened the door to the cell. To the elder, the door opened by itself. "Who's there? What's going on?" said the elder in slight bewilderment. "Its okay, I just need to know where the statue is," said Giltram in a whisper. "What for? Who are you?" asked the elder in an irritated fashion. "Its me, Giltram. The king needs the statue to fight the humans."

"Is that so? How can you possibly be Giltram and not another human trick? Why can't I see you?"

"How about the time I accidentally blew up your tool shed with one of my inventions? You can't see me because I took an invisibility potion. Invented it myself."

"That's Giltram alright. Why does the King want the statue?"

"I'm not sure of his reasons exactly, but he wants to use it to fight the humans."

"Well, never thought that Kakarito would have one more battle. It's in the bottom of the well."

"Why is it down there?"

"Because that's where Kakarito lived. You see he was the only snake that could swim."

"Hmm, ok. How do I get down there?"

"Don't know. Never tried to personally. However, you always find a way to fix problems. Speaking of which, could you get me out of here?"

"No, sorry. It would bring too much attention to us."

"Us?"

"Oh! Clire and I are working together. He's an agent of the King, and he's bloody good too. Knows his stuff. Anyway, sorry can't help you old friend."

"That's ok. You've brought me happiness in the fact that I helped my kingdom."

"Good-bye, old friend."

"Good-bye, Giltram."

Giltram proceeded back through the cell door. Once out of the jail, he headed for the square. Soon, he found the well and half circle drawn on the ground. He completed the circle and felt a light tug on his shirt. He looked around and there was no one close by. "Clire?"

"Shh! Do you _want_ us to be found?"

"Ok, I found out that the statue is in the bottom of the well."

"Makes sense. I feel huge emanations of magic pouring out of it. I have a spell that will allow us to breath underwater."

"Good let's go."

Clire began the spell. He drew his hands together and said a word very softly. Then ran his hands over Giltram's neck and upon his own. Pulling power from within himself, he created a pair of gills on where he had put his hands. "Into the water now," commanded Clire.

They both jumped into the well and caught their breaths. Giltram asked, "How could you see me? I was still invisible." Clire replied. "When a sorcerer begins a spell, they are much closer to the realm of magic. This closeness allows them to see many more living things than they had thought possible. I also saw a very large being in a cavern below us. I could not make out what it was." Giltram looked down at the cavern below, "How long does your spell last?" Clire laughed and joked, "Giltram, are you becoming a bit craven?"

"Well, yeah. I am scared of drowning after all."

"Oh, sorry. It will last until I take it off. Do not worry. We should get moving."

"Agreed."

As they descended further into the well, the cavern turned and twisted until it opened into a giant water-filled grotto. Because no sunlight could reach the cave, it was completely dark. Clire conjured a small light, and held it in his hand. From what they could see, the water was crystal clear. Feeling confident, Clire made the light much larger. Light filled the entire cavern, and they saw the very thing they had been searching for. There, on a small rounded stone, was the Statue of Kakarito.

* * *

Chapter 6: The Glow of Hope

Link held the statue, studying it. He had written down the ancient language inscribed on the back of the statue, and what Zintril had translated it to mean. _The power of one cannot be compared to the power of friends._ He contemplated the true meaning of the statement, because there was also the literal answer it held. Of course it meant what it said. The more friends you have, then the more power you hold. It could perhaps mean something else also. _It may mean that I must have all the statues, in order to defeat a great power._ Immediately he thought of Ganon. The very name was his enemy.

He left the statue on a chair and moved to his balcony. He looked upon all that had once been a great land, filled with good-natured people who would gladly help with any and all requests asked. Now it seemed that the evil of the humans had overflowed into the society of the elves. Some plotted revenge on the humans, and the more radical ones took up arms in the main plaza, and delivered speeches about how horrible the humans were. After some time, Link watched the gradual change in the weather and noticed rain. He was very much accustomed to watching the time go by day by day, as the only other thing for him to do was help Zelda settle people's petty differences, something he was not fond of doing and found that she was better at it than himself anyway.

Another thing Link watched for day to day was any sign of the other mage assassins. He hoped they were all ok, had he thought of it Zintril could have easily shown him that they were all doing very well. Nonetheless, Link watched and waited for a sign.

Then it came, a splash. Link saw it, but it was not clear. Another came soon after, and Link stormed out of his room and alerted the guards. It may have been one of two things, a friend or an enemy. He felt as though it were a friend, one of the mage assassins. He slipped on his wide black cloak, and sprinted into the rain. Link broke no sweat catching up to the guards, and then politely asked the elf on top of the gate, "Can you see who it is?" The reply came, "Yes, its Restalm!" The news of the mage assassin's arrival encouraged a great cry of relief from the nearby soldiers and townsfolk. Link sighed a good breath.

The gate opened slowly because of the mud from the excess rain. The kingdom had already enough hardships with the drought and all the other dealings, but now it seemed a flood was upon them. Finally the gate opened, and Restalm ran through the opening. Link drew him into a hug knowing that the elf standing before him had faced some great hardships. "I have it your majesty! This is the statue of Thamldrin, the Goron. They say that he was half golem and half elf." The assassin handed Link the second statue with no formality. He courteously bowed and walked back to his family, friends, and the rest of the life he left behind.

Link turned the statue in his hands. The statue looked like a very large elf, with overgrown arms and legs. It looked to be a very powerful creature. He covered the statue with the cloak, though he knew it would not matter.

By the time Link was back in the castle, nearly everyone knew it was there. He brandished it high and showed them that he had not sent his elite warriors on a wild goose chase. Leaving the statue of the Goron in the throne room, Link retrieved the statue of Cremtroil from his bedroom.

Back in the throne room, the Goron statue glowed dimly. It grew slightly brighter when Link sat the statue of Cremtroil next to it. "It seems as though we are on the correct path," announced Zintril as he came hobbling toward the small group that now composed of the Hyrulian Monarchy. Link nodded in agreement then spoke, "This proves the theory that the statues hold power. I believe I have deciphered the riddle of the inscriptions on the statues. '_The power of one cannot be compared to the power of friends' _means two things. One is that obvious moral which it tells, '_the more friends you have…the more power you hold_.' However, I think it means that if we collect all the statues, something magnificent will happen."

"What would that be?" asked Zelda.

"I'm not sure, but let's keep on the look out for more of the statues."

Everyone looked around at each other for about ten seconds, until Link stated that he would be in his study and was not to be disturbed. Lately it seemed that he had become an outsider, more so than before he had become King. _I never have been great with people. I must live with it though, as I am their king._ He didn't want the responsibility anymore, but it may have been a good thing that Link had become King when he did. Otherwise, he may not have lived through this whole ordeal.

As he reached his study he remembered the diary, and decided to read it again. He went back to his bedroom and picked it up, then headed back to the study. _I wonder what I'll learn today._ He had this strange feeling that it was something great.

He sat down at a table, and opened to his bookmark.

**King Zentora I:**

**My father was only half elf so he died of old age. I myself am not pure elf even though my father married a pure elf. Anyway, I have found myself in need of an army to hold back Ganon. He is a menace upon this land. I started a liege of knights to protect my kingdom from his sorcery, and have tried to set-up a meeting with him so I can ask my questions, but he staves me off. He is a menace that has answers. That is not a good combination.**

**A boy was born today, but he is different somehow. He had an unusual mark on his head. It was glowing gold for five minutes, but then disappeared though it was never there. It looked like a three triangles forming a larger triangle.**

**It was very unusual, but I think we will see great things from him. Unfortunately, his mother died while giving birth.**

**The boy has grown up now, and I see him only once in a while. He is always out in the wild and for the life of me I cannot remember his name. No matter, ever since I told him about Ganon, he has searched for him. It is odd. They are so different yet similar. They both feel magic.**

He turned the page.

**I now hand over my throne to the boy whom I described above. His name is Link, and I know that if he finds these pages…he'll have many answers to his past. However, for the sake of his sanity, I do not wish it. This is why I have left this diary in the rock I carved. I am split in my decision; he needs to know… but not too soon. I hope he reads this slowly, and gets his answers at all the right times. If you read this Link, I'm sorry.

* * *

**

Chapter 7: Big Trouble

Clire's light glowed brightly filling the cavern with light. Giltram noticed that the invisibility potion was wearing off because he saw Clire's outline. "Clire, the potions are wearing off," Giltram said with difficulty. He was not used to breathing underwater yet. "Hmm, we'll need to be careful when we leave the town then."

"Agreed"

Giltram had already headed for the statue when suddenly darkness began to pour into the grotto. Clire could not sense where the darkness came from, but knew that the darkness was not evil. The water was being perforated with a black substance.

"What is that?" Giltram asked.

"I am not sure. Whatever it is, it will greatly disrupt our vision."

Just then a pair of appendages shot out from the blackness of the cavern. The appendages headed straight for Giltram, and then wrapped themselves around him. He struggled to release the slimy grip of the tentacle-like appendages. They began to fling him around like a small child's toy, and suddenly pulled him into the black substance. Clire frantically searched for his friend not only with his eyes, but also his honed senses. There was no trace for a few minutes, until another tentacle surged out at Clire. Fortunately, he was quick to react and used a very small lightning spell to stop his kidnapping. Whatever lived in the well of Kakarito seemed to know when it was threatened, because when Clire attacked the tentacle, the blackness increased to cover half of the cavern.

Then Clire did something drastic, he decided to use the rocks against whatever humongous monstrosity that resided in the well. He took a few minutes to prepare, and then turned the cavern into a giant underwater maze. This however, was not a normal maze. It did not just have huge walls where you could go directly from the top of the cavern to the bottom by swimming in a straight line. He also gave it twists and turns, ups and downs, diagonals and zigzags. Since it was his design, he knew all the dead ends and traps placed around the various parts of the huge three-dimensional maze. He entered the opening directly in front of him, and proceeded up and left into a small corner. At first the water was calm, then suddenly there was a terrifyingly huge vibration. Clire watched for signs of what happened, and looked down both of the corridors leading to his location. Suddenly, a tentacle punched through the rock just below him. _There goes my great plan._ He watched as multiple other tentacles destroyed parts of the maze, and decided to move toward his attacker. Moving quickly, but carefully, Clire dodged various interceptions as he moved in and out of the creature's sight. How it could see was a mystery to him as it was still veiled by the dark underwater cloud. Nearing an exit, Clire used a shielding spell to make a magic bubble around him. It was not as much a bubble as it was a spherical wall that protected him from everything. As he moved into the black mist, he found that it did not penetrate the magical wall in which he had encased himself.

Clire exited the protective maze, and entered the mysterious creature's territory. He moved in a zigzag pattern, and tried to keep from swimming in a straight line for too long. Then the creature's tentacles bombarded him; it had seen him at last. It smashed two of its tentacles into both sides of Clire's wall, but did not damage it. _Well, at least it can't get through my wall. _The creature slammed a tentacle into the front of his bubble, and pushed him back. _It can still move me; this may not have been the right spell._ The creature wrapped its tentacle around Clire's wall, and smashed it into a rock. Since he was inside, he felt the full force of the crash.

The creature did not let go; in fact it continued to pound Clire into the wall of the cavern. This went on for a short time, which seemed like an eternity to Clire, until he finally managed to cast another spell. He made an inextinguishable fireball, and then lowered the magical wall. The instant the wall was lowered, the creature's grip faltered, and Clire hit the tentacle with the fireball. The appendage caught fire, and continued to burn. The unseen attacker let out a deafening screech. Clire immediately swam through the dark cloud. Behind it floated the great creature, which had furiously attempted to kill both elves.

The creature had ten tentacles protruding from a large head. On the bottom of the head were not only tentacles, but also a very large toothed beak. Clire looked upon this monstrosity of a squid, and saw that it also had two very large red-orange eyes. They didn't look mean, but he knew looks could be deceiving. The squid's beak opened wide and let out a terribly high-pitched screech, and more of the dark cloud poured from its innards. Clire had a spell ready for this though. "Hain-ku!" He yelled as loud as he could underwater, and followed up with a push of his hand.

From Clire's hand came one of his secret spells, a spell that he had never attempted because it was still being perfected. Its desired effect was to detach the squid's very existence from reality. Simply put, the spell would re-write history as though the creature had never been. He hoped that the creature didn't do anything of value for Hyrule, if he was wrong it could mean a catastrophe for Hyrule. The spell headed for the giant squid, and struck it directly on the head. The overgrown sea-creature was erased from existence. Clire swam to Giltram to make sure he was not hurt. "Giltram! Are you awake? Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can hear you, but I think my right arm is dislocated from being squeezed by that beast. Let's take the statue and get out of here."

Clire took Giltram by his good arm and they swam down to the statue. Clire opened his pouch and reached for it. When he picked it off the pedestal, the water mysteriously drained from the cavern. With the water gone, Clire helped put Giltram's shoulder back in its place.

"Oh, my shoulder hurts."

"At least you did not break it."

"Agreed."

They looked around the cavern a bit.

"That is very strange," said Giltram.

"What was strange?"

"There was no pull from the draining point. Its as though the water disappeared into the rock."

"It was probably caused by instant decrease of mana in this area."

"I do not understand. What is mana and what does it have to do with the water?"

"Mana has everything to do with everything. Mana is what binds everything together, if there is a huge decrease in mana then all that is left of the land is nothing but barren waste. Mana is also what mages, and all other spellcasters, use to feed their magic. We tap into mana, and put it to more use. Without mana, there is no life, no magic, and no way to stop Nazrox. The king wants these so that Nazrox will not be able to use magic in most of Hyrule. We are attacking him where it hurts the most, his power."

"I see. Where does the mana come from?"

"That is harder to answer. I think that these statues hold the key to mana and everything. How that is…I am not sure."

* * *

Chapter 8: Escape From Kakarito

"So how do we get out of here," asked Giltram in a slightly annoyed voice. He had looked around and saw only the rock that the giant squid had knocked from Clire's maze.

"Well, let us see where we entered," replied Clire. He had been holding his light during the entire battle against the squid, and now he closed his hand around it until it disappeared. All light from the cavern went out, except for the single beam of light from the well. The only light in the entire cavern reflected off their faces, and they could actually see each other if only very slightly. "Time to leave," stated Clire. Giltram nodded and they began a very long walk toward the opening of the well.

Nearly halfway across the cavern floor, there was a clunking sound. At first it sounded like a metal against metal ping, but closer inspection showed it to be the bucket of the well dangling in the cavern. The bucket hung low enough that with just a small jump; even a human could grab hold of the rope and scale the well.

They climbed until the opening of the well was just within their reach. But one thing stopped them from climbing up and out; one of the rock golems from the last battle against the humans was standing guard at the well. Clire was ahead of Giltram and knew the horrible fate that would find them if they tried to leave the well now. Clire thought to himself feverishly, trying to figure out why this rock golem was standing guard at the well. Then he thought, _what if Nazrox realizes what is going on, and has decided to keep King Link from retrieving anymore of the statues. But how does the rock golem exist here now? There is no mana in this land. It should have fallen apart. Maybe Nazrox has found another source of power for his magic. That cannot be possible. It goes against the very nature of existence. Everything plays by rules. Oceans, trees, flowers, rock, magic, all of it is fed by mana. This rock golem is breaking all these rules. It should not exist here, but it does._

Giltram began to wonder what the hold up was, but knew to keep quiet for fear of being heard. He tapped Clire on the side of the boot for attention. Clire snapped out of it and realized something very simple he could do to distract the rock golem. He knew that rock golems were very stupid, so he took a rock from the wall of the well. He climbed up a bit more, his head nearly poking out of the top, and threw the rock opposite of the golem.

It worked. The golem turned with its craggy head and stomped toward the rock. Each step it took was like an earthquake, but Clire could not stop there. He climbed out of the well, and helped Giltram with his way out. They ran toward the nearest building entrance, opposite from the rock golem, hoping to get out of his sight as quickly as possible. However, a human saw them and blew a small horn. The golem immediately turned and saw the two elves running into the building. It tore through the topside of the well and made its way toward the building.

Clire flung open the door, with Giltram at his heels, and bolted into the building. However, what was inside disheartened him greatly. A hundred eyes were fixed upon them as the two elves stood in the entrance of the human barracks. Faces soured, and swords unsheathed as the men stood to face an easy kill. The tense moment was rudely interrupted by the force of the barracks wall flying apart with pieces lodging themselves into many men's chests. The rock golem had arrived. Clire and Giltram took the few moments of confusion to exit, and head for the trees.

Link finally had some good news. Three more of the statues had arrived in one day: Icarus the three-legged horse, Porthon the winged monkey, and Lithipor the shape-shifter. Link was worried about Clire. _What trouble has he gotten into? If he's dead, I'll need to go for the last statue myself. Clire, you have three days._

A Baltrithian soldier knocked on a very large wooden door. "What," asked the always-annoyed Nazrox. "Sir!" the man said with a sharp salute, "There were intruders at Kakarito." Nazrox rose from his chair in front of a small fireplace. "Have they been caught?"

"No, sir. They stole the statue, destroyed the barracks, and then escaped during the confusion."

"Idiot! Do you realize how important it was to protect that statue and kill them? Obviously not, Captain Trazdon."

"Please forgive me, Emperor Nazrox."

The man knelt and put his hand on his chest. Nazrox snapped his fingers and Trazdon exploded in a ball of fire lasting only a second. There was nothing left, not even ash. "You have been forgiven, Captain Trazdon."

Two days after Clire and Giltram escaped from Kakarito, they saw a glimpse of Hyrule Castle. They had made it.

* * *

Chapter 9: Debriefing

After a very brief reunion, everyone met in the conference room for debriefing. Link began the meeting with a small speech. "My friends, the war against the humans has obviously not gone well. However, recent events have changed our fate." He looked around the room with confidence. "Tomorrow, I will take the six statues in my possession to the final piece of the puzzle. The statue of Kokiri." Many faces looked stunned. They all remembered when they were stuck in limbo for a week. None wanted to go back. "Do not worry. Even though I do not know exactly what will happen when the statues are united, only good can come from this event. Any questions?"

The next four hours, the whole of the Hyrulian government sat around the conference table talking about what to do should this effort fail. Link finally decided to just go alone. "Like the old days!" he said.

The next morning, Link was ready to set out on what he hoped to be his last adventure. He could not help but think that somehow Ganon would again weasel his way out of his grasp. Saving his anger for when he needed it most, Link headed away from his beloved castle, and home, and into the wilderness.

The land had overgrown itself completely. Vines were growing upon every tree, and then vines were growing upon those vines. It was chaotic, but wondrously beautiful. The grass was the greenest it had ever been, and the fruit on the bushes were large and plentiful. Link had been surprised to notice the castle had not been beaten by the incessant plants and weeds on the outside of its great walls.

* * *

Chapter 10: Nazrox's Fate

The room was a dank and dreary mess. Paper was strewn across the table and sofa, and the ink was splattered against the wall. The fire burned inside the cracked chimney, and the floor was covered in wreckage. Nazrox sat in the corner of the room, staring into the abyss that was once his mind. The fight was over, and he had lost. Now he was trapped inside of himself, with no control over his body. He began to laugh, and found himself drifting away.

The door opened. Nazrox turned his head. The man looked strangely familiar, but yet… The man walked to the fireplace and stood looking at the large crack in the chimney. "What a number you did," he said with a tone of amusement. "I am here to help you, Nazrox." The man kneeled and thrust an open hand to the mindless shell of a man. Nazrox looked again at the man, but this time it was into the eyes… the red burning eyes; hypnotizing, angry, and comforting.

"Stand up Nazrox!" The man demanded. Nazrox shook his head. "Stand up!" The flame in the man's eyes grew brighter. Then the man spoke softly, "Oh yes, you know who I am, even if you do not realize it. I can save you. I can make you better. Take my hand Nazrox, and you can see the outside again."

This time Nazrox tried to stand, only to fall halfway up. "I am… too weak," said Nazrox.

"No, you have the strength to crawl. Come to me Nazrox."

Nazrox fell on his side, and flipped onto his front. He pushed his way across the floor. Dust was getting in his eyes, and he was losing consciousness.

"DO NOT CLOSE YOUR EYES NAZROX!" Screamed the man. A fanatical laugh followed the incessant shriek.

Nazrox raised his hand, and passed out. His hand fell into the outstretched palm of the man. They both vanished.

Two tiny pockets of light found the eyes of Nazrox, but everything else was completely black. He stood from lying on his belly. He felt a sudden rush of energy and power. Looking into the light, Nazrox walked forward. He stumbled twice; the floor was uneven. Slowly he moved toward the lights. His eyes began to adjust to the never-ending darkness.

Nazrox finally reached the sources of light and peered through one. He saw the faces of about ten thousand men standing in perfect blocks. He heard his voice, but he was not speaking. The words, those words he had heard before… but where? _My memory…what do I remember? My name… Nazrox. Yes, that is right. What do I do for a living? I do not know. I know all my letters, numbers, and words. Yet I know nothing of myself._

_"Let me fill you in, Nazrox."_

_Who said that?_

_"You do not remember my voice? Ha! Maybe I can start fresh."_

_Where are you?_

_"If you are asking me where I am, I am in a place called Hyrule. If you are asking me where I am speaking from, I am inside you."_

_Inside me, how?_

_"You volunteered you know, to switch places with me. It was for the better of Baltrian."_

"Do not listen to him, Nazrox!"

_"You stay out of this!"_

_What? You sound the same._

"We are not. Nazrox, you must break free from his grasp."

_"No, you chose to be here. You do not have the strength anyway."_

_What?_

"Yes, you can defeat him!"

_This is confusing._

_"You cannot defeat me."_

"You can."

_"Cannot."_

_AHH!_

Nazrox fell to his knees inside the blackness of the room. He took hold of his head and bowed before nothing. The light shone dimly upon the waste of a soul… once called Nazrox, Emperor of Baltrian.

* * *

Chapter 11: Kokiri

Link was now well into the forest of Kokiri, where he had replaced Kokiri's Statue and continued his journeys. Now some three years after that event he found himself right back at the beginning, where finally his adventures would end and he could live out the rest of his life as King of Hyrule.

Link dearly missed Selestie, his old fairy friend, who returned to her people after the battle for Hyrule Field. His final adventure into the forest also became an adventure into his memories. He had defeated eight octorocks in less than five minutes, saved the Fairy Queen from a fate worse than death, and imprisoned Ganon in a box. He also remembered the tragedies: the fateful day in Caulren when Nazrox fired canons at the proud coastal city, when a ten thousand strong Baltrithian army swept across Hyrule in a matter of weeks, and when Link was powerless to change anything. It was now time for his destiny to come full circle. Ganon would soon be driven from Hyrule forever.

Ganon stood, staring at the single way into the small room-like clearing in Kokiri forest. He stood, waiting for Link. He would stop Link from fulfilling his destiny at all costs. He shut his eyes and concentrated, the evil from within him filling him with power. All the plants slowly grew darker, not knowing that they were being filled with darkness.

As Link neared the sacred place of Kokiri, the air grew heavy and the trees shone less. The light faded from the sky, and darkness began to seep into the root of the earth. Link stepped into the short natural tunnel, and smelled the scent of a familiar foe. He rounded the corner and looked to see Ganon, standing defiantly between the King and the sacred statue.

The smirk upon the wizard's face was just a dam holding back the flow of anger and hatred. He wanted his revenge now. "Link, it is time you suffered what you made me endure. I had to sit in the back of Nazrox's mind, slowly shaping him into madness. When he broke, I took his body. This is not my true body, I must find that on my own." Ganon stepped toward Link, only feet away from his revenge. "I must say, that you have kept a very good hold on my power. Whether you knew it or not, every time you defeated me I grew stronger. Yet, you grew stronger also. I found myself in a quandary, unable to release myself from your _heroic _power. When you took my body from me and locked me away within the Spirit Temple, you made a grave mistake. The Spirit Temple's closeness to the realm of the dead allowed me to speak with more ancient demons. My power grew intensely, and now exceeds yours."

"Your power may be greater than mine, but I have a more powerful weapon. One that only an real elf could have."

"What is that? A heart?"

"No… Wisdom. I brought it upon myself to learn about you Ganon. Whatever I could find, I studied."

"There are no books about me."

"Yes, there is one."

Link took out the History of Hyrule book from his bag.

"This contains enough of your past history with other Kings of Hyrule, that I figured out what you are. I also figured out what my destiny is. You are the destroyer of worlds, and my destiny is to stop you from destroying the final one."

"Well that _is_ an intriguing theory, Link. Too bad it will be no use to you."

Ganon reached forth and opened the fabric of the world, revealing Dark World.

"This is the fate of Hyrule, Link. You cannot stop it."

"Link!" Yelled a familiar voice.

Clire and Giltram had joined Link in the effort against Ganon.

"What are you two doing here?" asked Link.

"We knew you would run into trouble, so we followed," replied Clire.

"Besides, we would not want anything to happen to our beloved King Link now would we?" interjected Giltram.

"I suppose that you believe you can beat me now that you have an old decrepit elf, and a foolish young ruffian helping you, eh Link? You are quite mistaken."

Ganon glowed purple and held his head up high. He began to rise into the air. His eyes turned black, and his hair became the color of fire. Ganon turned and faced the statue of Kokiri. He shook his head then laughed. "Link, everyone see the prophecy wrong. You are not the chosen one. I am. I have seen my father only twice, and that is because of you. I hate my father. He is a treacherous being who, if given the chance, would have killed mother in her pregnancy should he have known that I would betray him. The third time I see my father, shall be to kill him."

"You think you can stop all three of us?" replied Clire. "You cannot even stop me!" Clire took out a sword of magic and sprung into the air. In the downward motion of the jump he sliced at Ganon with all his fury. Ganon spun and caught the blade, then squeezed with one hand to break the mere metal.

"What is physical harm to me? Nothing. I have been ripped from my body, only to become a parasite to a human. I am still in his body, this puny body. Only through darkness can the body's true essence emerge and grow to the strength of a hundred elves. This body is only a weak link to the darkness that enshrouds all living things. The seven statues will give me a great link, second in strength only to the power my father holds. I intend to take that power and rule all worlds and dimensions."

Link draws his sword and buries it into the ground. Only the hilt and handle remained. "You would be wise to do as well my friends." Clire and Giltram looked at each other, then briefly at Link, then Ganon. They followed Link's request. Link nodded and took a step forward. "Ganon! You are mad. No one person can rule everything. Only a god can do that. You are _no_ god. It is time you learned the truth of the seven statues."

Link took the sack full of the statues and threw it into the air. The bag unraveled and light burst forth from the hovering miniatures. The statue of Kokiri rose slowly, and joined the others in a circle. The circle lined the top of the forest-like room, and began to spin. Soon single beams of light shot from each statue into the night sky, turning night into day. When all the statue's light came forth, the beams converged to a point. In the focal point the light shone brightest, and from the brightness came a maiden. The maiden was beautiful, and when her celestial eyes opened the world stood still.

She spoke: "My children, my friend, and my foe. You have gathered here to show how the prophecy will be decided. The fate of Hyrule, and existence itself was in your hands. Some of you were trying to make it great, where others sought after it with greed." Her voice echoed off the clouds, and her gaze penetrated all. "You, Link, are seeking answers to many questions. As are the rest of you. You may ask any and all questions you wish before the fate of Hyrule is brought forth."

Link asked the first question. "Who are you?"

"You do not know, my son? Perhaps you should ask Giltram. He knows much more than he lets on."

Link turned to Giltram with a questioning look of his face.

"Link," explained Giltram, "She is the goddess Glestyin. Your real mother."

"What? How is that possible? My mother died while giving birth to me."

"Link, she did die. Glestyin's human body died while giving birth to you. When she died she left behind the statues to help protect Hyrule from Ganon."

Glestyin interjected, "Now that you all realize who I am, Giltram, Tell them who you really are."

"My name is not Giltram, I am Stilben. I am Link's father."

This time Clire interrupted, "Wait, I have been fighting alongside the father of Link, and fighting under the son of a goddess called Glestyin?"

Link replied, "I do not know what to say. Giltram, or Stilben, is my father. My mother is the goddess who created Hyrule. I am a half-god?"

"You are indeed my son. Now, that is finished. Ganon, I cannot allow you to bring harm to Hyrule again. I will banish you to Dark World for eternity."

Ganon ducked behind Clire and held onto him. "I do not feel the need to be banished." He pulled a dagger from his belt and held it to Clire's throat. "I will leave Hyrule, but Clire comes with me. Goodbye!" Ganon opened a portal to Dark World, and entered pulling Clire through with him."

* * *

Chapter 12: The Power of Ganon

Ganon had a very strong hold on Clire, so strong that Clire could barely move. The dagger at Clire's throat was slowly piercing his skin, and blood faintly trickled down the blade. The stench of the air was putrid to Clire's elvish sense of smell, and the feel of the mana was… dark. "So this is Dark World. A fitting place for a coward like you Ganon."

"You, my friend, are in no position to make rash comments as so. You are currently have a knife held to your throat, and any sudden move could result in an unpleasant loss of blood."

"The knife is nothing compared to what you would feel under the power of my magic. Darkness is weak, just like your bravery."

"Are you challenging me, young elf?"

"Yes, I challenge you to a duel. Ganon, you are a decrepit old fool."

"Strong words for a mere apprentice."

Ganon released Clire from his grip. Clire moved forward quickly and cautiously, and then turned and faced his evil adversary. "Do you know how to have a duel of magic, Clire? You must start twenty steps from your enemy; the duel will begin when we nod to each other. Understood?"

"I understand."

They looked at one another, and nodded.

Clire leaped into the treetops, narrowly dodging a fireball directed at his head. He leaped to another tree just before the tree burst into flame. Clire cast a summon spell, but nothing happened.

"Ah! I see you are finally trying to cast spells. It is pointless you know. There is no mana in Dark World, only darkness."

Ganon laughed wildly at the young elf's inability to fight back. Ganon raised his hands, and fire flew in all directions covering everything in fire. Ganon's eyes were pitch black as he was filled with the power of darkness. Animals began to run rampant through the forest creating confusion and peril for all in the large forest.

Clire desperately looked for some way to stop Ganon's madness, but could think of nothing. In Dark World, Clire was powerless. Ganon, wielding the power of darkness, could take the very air and use it for his own destructive power.

"_Embrace the darkness, Clire, you can be as powerful as I. You and I can defeat my father and take control. I can put an end to this now and you could be my friend. Be my friend, Clire,"_ whispered Ganon using telepathy.

"Get out of my head!"

"_I can already feel it. It is seeping into your skin. The darkness always wins. You can never fight long enough to hold it back."_

"I said get… out of… my… head!"

Clire fell out of the tree and landed on a burnt patch of land. He ached everywhere. Ganon stood over Clire, and spoke again using telepathy.

"_Use the darkness that is entering your body. It is your companion, your friend. Open your heart with your hatred for me and fill it with darkness."_

Clire instinctively threw a lightning bolt at Ganon. Ganon deflected the attack with no feeling.

"_There, see? The darkness is inside. Use it. You will find yourself becoming so much more than what you were. You will be the best. Better than Zintril. After all, he always held you back. With darkness, you can surpass him easily. Open your mind. Let the darkness take hold. It flows so much easier than mana. You will be able to cast very quickly and with very little effort."_

"No!"

"_Its too late. You've already used darkness. Once it has entered, it will never leave. You'll see."_

Ganon felt content with the seed he planted in Clire's mind. He opened a doorway to Hyrule.

"Go back to your friends. They'll have missed you."

Ganon lifted Clire and threw him through the portal.

"Goodbye, apprentice."

* * *

Chapter 13: The Triforce

An entire week had passed since Ganon had taken Clire to Dark World, everything changed due to Glestyin. She fixed everything in Hyrule. The humans were cleansed of evil, the elves that had fallen at the hands of Ganon were revived, the land was healed, and, most peculiar of all, she paralleled the continents of Hyrule and Baltrian. The coast of Hyrule was now only one mile away from Baltrian's shores.

With Ganon and Nazrox defeated, the humans elected a new King. The man's name was Findalor, a hero of the human underground. Link knew that this man would be easy to keep good relations between the humans and elves.

Link also spent the week conversing with Giltram, or now Stilben. He did prefer Giltram though, as it had been his name for some fifty years. Link learned from Giltram about more of his past, his family, and about why he was kept a secret. Giltram had said, "Link, you were born with a symbol on your head. Glestyin called it a Triforce. She said everything would make sense in time. You are the chosen one, Link. You were to be the one to lead Hyrule to greatness. We kept you a secret for fear of Ganon. Link, Ganon is a much older and more powerful being than he lets on. He has been playing with you the entire time. Neither poison nor potion works on him. He is a beast, and a force to be reckoned with. Glestyin did right by forcing him out of Hyrule, forever. He may be in Dark World, but he's still alive. That is what worries me."

When the week was done, Glestyin told Link that one more thing would need to be done. She had him bring all seven statues to the center of the castle. "Link, I shall enter this room, but I will not leave. When the light is gone, open the door." Glestyin entered the room. A moment later the door glowed white and light pierced the cracks of the doorway. When the light subsided, Link entered the room. The room held a pedestal, and above hovered the golden Triforce. Triangular in shape, with a smaller Triangle cut from the center.

_"Link. I am contacting you from within the Triforce."_

"Glestyin, is that you?"

_"Yes. I melded the statues to my being and made the true Triforce. Mistake this with no other. Link, only you can wield the Triforce. Do not touch the Triforce unless you plan to use it. It is still unstable and I am the only thing keeping the power of the Triforce under control. Go, you have work to do."_

"Alright. I'll come back if I need to talk."

_"Please send Giltram to me if you see him."_

"Yes, goodbye."

_"See you soon, son."

* * *

_

Chapter 14: Giltram's Orders

Giltram headed to the empty supply room at Link's request. It was odd that there was 'something he should see' there. If the room was empty, then what did it matter? He went out of curiosity, and when he arrived he gave the door a good looking over. Nothing was strange there, so he went in.

The Triforce majestically hovered above the small stone pedestal. "What?" he asked himself. He circled the Triforce, but knowing the power it held, refrained from touching it. "How did this get here?" he asked no one.

_"I made it,"_ came the short reply of Glestyin.

"Why, Glestyin? Why did you make something so powerful?"

_"You do not understand yet. You will when you do as I ask."_

"Anything for you, my love."

_"I need you to make sure Link knows the trouble Clire will bring to Hyrule. I cannot tell him, and break his heart."_

"What happened to Clire?"

_"He is back, but there is something different about him now. It is very faint, but darkness has entered into his heart. Dark World is a horrible place, Stilben. I need you to tell Link to be wary of Clire, and I need you to go to Dark World. I hate to send my only love there, but you are the only person besides Link who is protected there. Link is needed here, so you must go and keep watch."_

"Yes, my love. I understand, but the Triforce…"

_"That will become clear in Dark World. Go. I love you, Stilben."_

"I love you too, Glestyin."

With that, Giltram left to inform Link of the possible threat of Clire. However, when he found Link, Clire was there conversing with him. _I cannot tell Link with Clire so close. It will have to wait until later._

Later that night, Giltram managed to have Link's ears to himself and informed him of Clire's threat. Link however, turned away from the warning dismissing it as "impossible."

That morning, Giltram decided to become the eyes and ears of Glestyin, and left for Dark World.

* * *

The Final Chapter: Endings and Beginnings

The war against Ganon and Nazrox was finally over, and the humans were finally in a right state of mind. Hyrule was in true harmony for the first time in almost two centuries. No one worried about anything, everything seemed fine.

Nazrox laughed at his own stupidity. 'Hmm, ha ha… hah. Hmm. Hee hee. Must get a body. Hmm, ha, hm. Yes, revenge. Sweet, ha, treat. Hmm, body. Ha ha. Ganon. Hee hee ha ho. Ganon will, hee hee, pay. Hah ha ha. Haahh. Ah ha. Hee hee. Ho hee hum.'

"Father, it is time you felt the anguish that you have dealt me for so long." Ganon stood on a hill over looking a dark castle. "The Chronicles of Chaos will be mine."

At the end of the summer, Zelda gave birth to a daughter. Her name is Hallo.

The funeral was held on a late autumn night. Zintril was buried in the Tomb of Elders, under the Spirit Temple. Clire took his place as Head Wizard.

Link wrote his entry into the History of Hyrule book.

**King Link I:**

**Finally, Ganon has been defeated. Glestyin sealed his way out of Dark World. She also set the Hyrule straight by making Hyrule and Baltrian much closer to each other. She has told me many of the reasons for why things happened as they did. It was all part of her plan**

**Things make much more sense now. Glestyin was never really dead. She had to make Helstram think she was dead so she could fix her planet. She never wanted to break the continent in two, but she had to or else the elves and humans would kill each other off. So she hid herself in the statues. Now she has taken the statues and made the Triforce, and she hides again inside of it. She says only I can wield it, but only to do so when absolutely necessary. I wonder what power it holds.**

**Sometimes she speaks warnings to me, something about "the chronicles" and Dark World. She says I will never see Giltram again; it is in the prophecy that I will never see my father again.

* * *

**

The End

* * *

Author's Notes:

Well, good and bad things have happened at the end of the series. The sequel series is called The Legend of Zelda: Chronicles of Chaos. It begins ten years after the end of this book. Things to come: Ganon's confrontation with his father; major amounts of chaos runs rampant throughout Hyrule, Baltrian, and Dark World; and development into the characters of Hallo and Findalor. I thank my dad once again for making sure that my slang is in check, and all of my friends who give me so much enthusiasm on my work. Great thanks go to all of those who read and review my stories as I write them. Woo! Time to tackle Chronicles of Chaos!


End file.
